Toujours Pur
by howtobeanamateurwriter
Summary: The untold story of Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks. A plain and simple pureblood girl confronts her worst nightmares as she sees the entirety of her freedom ripped from her hands. The war is thickening around her as her family pledges their allegiance to the Dark Lord. She is entirely alone in a world full of death eaters...until she meets him.
1. Chapter 1

**N/A: Honestly it feels crazy to write again, guys. It's been years since I've written anything. This is going to be a little different (and hopefully better) than my last couple of stories. This is the first chapter to the story of Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks. Boy, do I have lots of stuff planned. Hopefully I can get it all down. I'm starting my senior (or thirteenth) year so there will be times when I don't update. Just warning you. I love you all and every single one of you is so extremely important. Enjoy xx**

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Chapter One: An Introduction to the Most Noble and Ancient Family of Cygnus and Druella Black

August, 1971

There was a light rain that was falling atop the manor and the vacant street it had stood on for 500 years. It was a cold rain that would make any dementor comfortable and the night was dark enough to hide them out of plain sight. Dimly lit candles could be seen from every window, illuminating a front yard full of black and white roses intertwining with the brick walls of the exterior of the building. It was a beautiful manor, passed down to every elder male heir of the Black family. Cygnus' elder brother, Alphard, was deemed "unfit" to possess the name of Black, and thus banished. So, by a miraculous default that Cygnus Black III is incredibly proud of, the state of the manor is under his name and his name only- thank you very much.

The manor now hosts a small family of five, along with a miraculously large staff of house elves that "should be thankful to serve such an ancient and honorable bloodline!" This family consisted of Cygnus Black himself and his just-as-honorable wife Druella Black. They produced a clean extension to the family tree, but no male heirs. This is the biggest shame that has ever fallen among Cygnus and is quite a large embarrassment to Druella of whom the blame is placed on the most. There are three daughters to be exact: Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black. They were born and are continually praised in that order.

The five continuations to the Black family are busy tonight, as is unusual for the normally quiet but nonetheless frightening household. Cygnus has invited his sister's family for dinner as he usually does to discuss extremely sensitive family business. At present, he sits in his luxurious office on the first floor, scribbling away at a letter that shall be sent to Abraxas Malfoy all the while wiping beads of sweat from his mane of dark hair. He was aging, and it was obvious to many who knew him. His umber eyes were fading and an array of bags were beginning to collect underneath them. Crow's feet cracked against his pearly complexion and his ebony curls were now beginning to thin. He is a tall man, yet thin and frail. He sported a thick and well-groomed mustache under his sharp nose that twitched whenever he was nervous. As he placed the Black family seal upon the envelope of the letter, it was twitching furiously. The sweat was collecting on top of his thick eyebrows. No matter how many times he patted away with his handkerchief, his nerves were still on full display. Tonight would unfold whether he liked it or not.

A few hallways of ancient portraits down from the office was the grand kitchen where generations of house elves were working endlessly to their mistresses' orders. Druella Black was unusually loud and unforgiving tonight as her sharp features boasted a very unsatisfied expression to what her elves were producing. She always wore her white hair in a clean bun that she never allowed to let down or produce any stray hairs. Her thin face was in perfect proportion to her body. She resembled her mother to the fullest extent, of which she was very proud of. Her eyes were large and dark, but neither crow's feet nor any sign of weariness adorned them. She works hard on her appearance as it is her duty to. Every woman of the ancient bloodlines must look their best no matter their age; she must be an emblem of pride to her husband and a model to her daughters. This role was what Druella was trained for, and nights such as this one were proof of her hard work. Everything must be perfect and the plate of Cornish Pasties that her house elf just presented her was most definitely not perfect.

If one travels through the hallways, past the office, into the grand ballroom, and up the large staircase that older house elves are busy polishing, one would find the three sisters in their individual rooms, busying themselves as their parents were at that exact moment. The upper west wing of the manor belonged solely to them and their house elves were in charge of keeping the state of it pristine.

Bellatrix boasted the largest room of the three and she was rather obnoxious about it. It adorned a crystal chandelier that her grandmother gifted her when she was born and, as she has gotten older, the eldest Black sister filled her room with even more luxurious heirlooms. She deemed her room the most honorable of the household in its entirety, and her mother agreed.

Bellatrix was undeniably the favorite daughter of the family. She graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the top her class and was the top of the Slytherin House in her year. She was beautiful as well; many suitors begged Cygnus for her hand in marriage and attempted to prove that they were the purest bloodline that could marry her. Cygnus had refused them all. Instead, he was currently in conversation with Maximus Lestrange, who was his best mate in school, about a possible marriage with his son. The boy, Rodolphus, would be much more honorable and is the only suitor Bellatrix hadn't expressed utter disgust for. Their marriage would be perfection so, of course, Druella supported it.

The eldest daughter was, like her mother, currently yelling at the unfortunate five house elves that belonged only to her. In her eyes, they weren't cleaning her room correctly. To distract herself from kicking them to the floor, Bellatrix sat in front of her dresser and began attempting to smooth out the curls she inherited from her father. They were unruly but still beautiful nonetheless. Many of her admirers described it as a waterfall framing her sharp, round face. In fact, Bellatrix inherited most of her features from her father; a sharp nose, full lips, dark, unforgiving eyes, high cheekbones and perfectly crafted eyebrows that highlighted her lengthy eyelashes effortlessly. All she had to do to look presentable for the night was tie her hair back in some sort of fashion and put on one of her grand dresses that showed off her rather impressive physique. The rest will take care of itself, and she knew that. So, with her house elves smoothing out her bedspread, she began with pinning each curl back one by one.

Directly across the hallway was the room of the youngest sister: Narcissa. At the moment, she was letting her house elves work in a calming silence. Narcissa believed they worked best unbothered, but with firm direction. She was busy looking through her closet in a collection of her best dinner dresses.

Narcissa most definitely stood out from the three sisters. She had been bestowed with her mother's white hair, but seemingly did not have anything else from her two parents. She had a smooth face and thin lips, with clear blue eyes that always had an underlying look of fear in them. For what or whom she had a fear of, Narcissa did not know. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was the least favorite of her sisters and her mother reminded her nearly every day. She had a fear of not amounting to what her mother set out for her, which was to marry and raise a pure family and nothing more. Narcissa knew that she was not as smart or as pretty as her eldest two sisters. No pureblood suitors had begun lining up for her yet which was unusual. In the next couple of weeks, she would be beginning her fifth year at Hogwarts; usually a pureblood woman would have intrigued a few suitors by this point. But she had not, and her parents were beginning to grow pessimistic about the ordeal.

When word had gone around that Druella was going to have a third child, many people reported that she was taking illegal potions and that Cygnus had produced ancient dark magic to ensure that the child would be a male. This type of magic were extremely dangerous both to Druella and her unborn baby, but friends of Cygnus' said that he was rather desperate for an heir, as his sister had not produced any children yet. Once Druella was close to labor, Druella's family could see how much damage the magic had caused. Many thought that she would die along with the child. However, Cygnus didn't show any sign of discomfort with his wife's state and kept forcing potions down her throat until the last second when the child was inching out of her womb. When the two saw that it was a baby girl, the usual pride and happiness in response to a newborn was replaced with sobs and shame. One nurse said that Druella asked her to throw the baby away numerous times. This baby grew into the youngest Black sister and Narcissa is reminded of their continual disappointment every day.

On a night like this, Narcissa is given an opportunity to make her parents proud, which is why she has been deciding over two very similar dresses for the last thirty minutes. She sighs and chooses one that would hopefully produce a nod of approval from her mother and asks one of her house elves for help with her corset.

In between both Bellatrix and Narcissa's room was one that belonged to the middle sister, Andromeda. Andromeda's room was rather plain. One wall was completely dedicated to her books, complete with an old, cushioned rocking chair that she reads in every day. If one was looking for luxurious and expensive ancient bloodline heirlooms, Andromeda's room is not the place to look. She liked her room plain and simple-it was easier to take care of. At the moment, instead of worrying about her hair or picking out a dress for the night, she was sweeping. She had sent her house elves down to help in the kitchen. They had made sure that their mistress didn't need them to clean her room before going to which Andromeda responded with a chuckle- she can manage to clean her own room. And so she did. If Druella Black had seen her own daughter with a broom in her hand and actually using it, the middle daughter's house elves would be beheaded and Andromeda would be yelled at to the point where she would want the same fate. Andromeda knew this perfectly well, but she didn't care.

In her father's eyes, Andromeda was perfect. She is just as beautiful, if not more so at times, than Bellatrix and is equally as smart as her. Andromeda inherited the same charisma and minimalistic attitude of her father and was even taught to play Quidditch by him. None of the other sisters wanted to learn Quidditch- it wasn't a hobby for girls. When Druella Black found her daughter practicing, she raised hell and made sure that no daughter of hers would ever fly a broomstick for such an idiotic reason like Quidditch. Andromeda cried for weeks about it until her father ended up sneaking Quidditch magazines into her room for her to watch pictures and read about it. Andromeda loved her father with all of her heart and attempted to love her mother the same. Her mother just never learned how to return it.

In fact, Druella had been curious of her middle child since she learned to talk and walk. She was different. She made friends with all of the house elves at a young age instead of acting superior to them. She was scared of the locket with snakes on it that her grandmother had gifted to her. She felt that dresses were uncomfortable and never bothered to brush her hair neatly unless for an absolute reason. Andromeda Black was extremely not perfect, which caused her mother just as much discomfort.

"Girls! Be ready in twenty minutes sharp! They will be here any minute now," screeched her mother's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Andromeda looked up from the dust bunnies she had been sweeping and rushed over to her closet to pick out something that will do. She had no idea why her parents were so nervous for tonight. It was just another family dinner. She would be able to see her little cousins, Regulus and Sirius, who didn't care much about what food was being served or what dress she was wearing. Tonight wasn't as big of a deal as the rest of her family was making it out to be.

Just as she was tightening her dress, Andromeda heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Narcissa was standing by the doorway with both of her hands entangled in her hair.

"I've been trying to do that braid thing you always do but it didn't work! And mother said they'll be here any minute!"

Andromeda couldn't help but laugh at the state of her little sister's hair.

"Sit down, Cissy. And breathe a little while you're at it. I'll fix it," she said as she patted the chair by her dresser.

As Narcissa was sitting down, she looked at her sister with disbelief, "Are you not ready yet? Are you really going to where your hair like that?"

Andromeda rolled her eyes, "Are you going to wear _your_ hair like that?"

This kept Narcissa's comments at bay until Andromeda could finish the braid, which ended up looking rather good, she had to admit. She sent her sister off with a smile on her face. By the end of it, Andromeda only had time to tie her hair up in a simple bun. That will have to do, no matter what her mother would say in response.

As Andromeda was walking out of her room, Bellatrix was walking out of her own. Bellatrix looked her up and down and sighed.

"Are you really going to wear that?"

Andromeda shrugged, "I'm not trying to impress our eleven year old cousin, Bella."

Bellatrix went back inside her room and fetched a string of black pearls and tied them around her sister's neck.

"There, now mother will only scream at you for a few hours," Bellatrix said as she started down the hallway to the staircase. Before she got too far she turned around, "Andy, you have to understand that you need to take these things just as seriously as mother does. If she's fretting, we should be fretting too. This means a lot to her for some reason."

Andromeda nodded curtly. Bellatrix turned back around and walked down the stairs.

While walking down the hallway, Andromeda attempted to avoid eye contact with all of her ancestors' portraits, whom she knew was looking at her with disproval. She didn't quite care what she looked like. It was ridiculous for her mother to get so bent out of shape every time she had guests over, even if they were family. Family shouldn't judge you anyway, she thought to herself, that's what family is for.

By the time Andromeda got to the doorway of the master dining room, she found a few straggling house elves finishing off the silverware (ancient and honorable Black family silverware, of course) and adjusting the chairs of the table.

Druella looked at the finishing touches and, to Andromeda, seemed to be looking for some sort of error to yell about. However, everything was perfect, and the slight nod with pursed lips in response meant that the elves were free to start dinner.

Andromeda looked around the room, "Is everyone waiting in the ballroom?"

Druella's eyes snapped to her daughter immediately, as if she hadn't seen or noticed her before. She gave her one long look, scanning for imperfections in her appearance, and sighed. She walked over to Andromeda with a chilling calmness.

When she finally reached her at the doorway, she asked "Do you think this is a joke, darling?"

Andromeda's heart plummeted in her chest. Though she had mentally prepared herself for some chastisement, she did not prepare for something like this.

"I-I don't understand-" she stuttered.

Druella cracked a wide smile at this, soaking in her daughter's fear. "I have been preparing for this dinner for months. Slaving over it, in fact. I have been working on end to represent this family the best way I know how. Yet, by some miraculous misconception you have engrained in your head, you think that this," she gestures towards the plain dress and lop sided bun, "is acceptable?"

"I lost track of time, mum. I'm sorry. I had to get some last minute summer work done and fix Cissy's hair-"

Druella let out a laugh. She seemed to be enjoying this, which Andromeda found even more disturbing.

"Your excuses do not phase me, Andromeda, nor will they ever. Because I am a kind woman, I will forgive this atrocious behavior. However, the next time you have the audacity to come to a grand dinner such as this one in that potato sack, I will have you banished from this-"

Suddenly, Cygnus appeared by the entrance behind Druella, obviously overhearing the threat. He made brief eye contact with his daughter and immediately interrupted his wife.

"Now what is this I hear about banishment?" he asked with a heartfelt smile, strolling over to put a calming hand on his wife's shoulder. "There is no need for that, my dear." With kind eyes he looked at Andromeda and cupped her face, kissing her forehead briefly.

He continued, "You, my angel, look beautiful. I think it's wonderful that a young woman her age need not try hard to display her beauty. It's effortless," and just as Druella was opening her mouth to interrupt, he added "and she gets it all from her mother."

Andromeda breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She didn't know how her father could manage to control Druella like this while still keeping a smile. He ushered her mother out of the room, telling her to appear in the ballroom as the guests will arrive any minute. As he heard her last few footsteps down the hallway, he turned to his daughter and took out his handkerchief. He quickly patted away the new beads of sweat that had formed.

"Andy, you're turning 17 in a little more than two months. Do you realize that?"

"Yes, I know. I'm going to be an adult and need to live on my own-"

"No, not quite. You should know by now how your mother is. You should be responsible enough by now to realize how seriously she takes these things, for whatever reason. You need to respect her more, dear."

Although Andromeda knew her father said these words with complete kindness, they did leave quite a sting. "It's hard to respect someone who looks at you like a mistake every day."

This hit her father with more of an impact than Andromeda planned. His face completely fell, as if his heart had been ripped out by those few words. Andromeda immediately regretted every syllable she had just spoken; her father was her ally and she never wanted to hurt him. But she had, and for some reason a rather large lump was forming in her throat that she couldn't manage to swallow.

A few moments passed between the two, with neither knowing what to say. Cygnus' mouth opened, as if he had thought of something to say, when the door chimes rang. A few new voices could be heard, echoing through the hallways.

Cygnus looked behind him, towards the new guests' voices through the doorway, and turned back around to face his daughter.

"Please, just try and make it through tonight. And know that whatever happens, I do love you Andy. You are one of my greatest accomplishments," he said softly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

And with that, he turned around and walked through the doorway and through the hallway hurriedly. Andromeda sighed, tucked more loose strands into whatever was left of her bun, adjusted her dress and followed her father.

Of course, she was the last one to greet her cousins, Aunt and Uncle at the entrance. It seemed that they had apparated, seeing the sickening look on both of her little cousins faces as they adjusted to their new location. As Andromeda became in her family's line of sight, every face turned to her.

Nothing much about her relatives' appearance changed. Her Aunt Walburga still had the Black family nose, sharp and profound, and her dark eyes had not shown any age to them. Neither had her light hair paled or thinned. Her short frame was still as bony as before, and no cracks of age had appeared in her pale skin. Andromeda's Uncle Orion resembled his wife strongly, as they were (and still are) second cousins when they married. It still disgusts Andromeda to think that her father could be planning to marry her off to her eleven year old cousin Sirius to "keep the family pure" just as her Aunt and Uncle were arranged. Looking at her little cousin, she noticed that he had grown a few inches and all of his front teeth had grown in, which Andromeda could see clearly when he smiled at the sight of her. Sirius had yet to figure out how to tame the black dark curls that his father had passed down to him from generations of the Black family. He would be starting Hogwarts this year, and Andromeda doubted he would be able to contain his excitement at the dinner table. His younger brother Regulus resembled his brother in every way, except that he had not started to grow in his teeth. He looked up to his brother most adamantly, copying almost everything Sirius did. They were two years apart, but Andromeda could see that the age difference didn't bother Regulus at all. He thought of Sirius as his best friend, not his older brother. They both ran to hug Andromeda at the same time, to which she bent down to their level in order to see them better.

Sirius started talking first in a quick, excited tone, "Andy! Did you know that I've been practicing my Quidditch all summer long? Dad says I've broken about five toy brooms but he said I should be ready for Madame Hooch any time now! He said I should be the best in my class!"

Andromeda laughed, "I don't doubt that at all, Sirius, you're a natural."

Then Regulus started, "I've been practicing too! Mum won't let me practice after dark like Sirius but I've still been trying!"

Sirius turned to his brother, "Well you do know that I'm two years older than you, Regulus. Don't expect to be as good as me just yet."

"With that big of a head, Sirius, it's a wonder you don't fall off your broom!" Andromeda said as she playfully poked Sirius in the stomach. He and his brother both laughed.

Andromeda loved both of them like her own brothers, and wished they were.

Orion Black walked over swiftly and interrupted the exchange, patting Sirius' head a little too firmly to be playful. Sirius silenced immediately, and Andromeda could see a slight cringe that he tried to cover up.

"Yes, we've been watching his ego burst over the last few months. I suppose it's the best. Both of my sons are honorable pureblood men, and should know how valuable they are before I let them loose into that mudblood play pen they call a school."

Andromeda looked up at her Uncle, trying to hide the resentment in her eyes. She stood up and smiled, unsure of what to say. Walburga joined her husband and put a warm hand on his shoulder.

"We aren't quite sure how you and your sisters have managed it!" she said with a shrill voice.

Andromeda kept her smile, "Managed what exactly?"

Her Aunt let out a deafening laugh, "Well managed the school, of course! I mean learning in the same room as muggleborns! We thought that Albus Dumbledore would at least put them in one classroom and let them learn at a slower pace while our children were in a much more advanced curriculum. It's just not fair to hold everyone back, is it Druella?"

Andromeda's mother put on a saddened expression, "It truly isn't, my dear sister. It is a shame, to see children like ours having to mingle with muggles. I mean, look at my girls. Bella and Andy are both at the top of their class, well above any mudblood I dare say. Does that seem like a coincidence to you? My girls need a more challenging curriculum! They are being held back by the mutts they go to school with."

And with that, her mother and father ushered Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion into the grand dining room, all the while continuing their social commentary.

Bellatrix looked down at her cousins, her nostrils slightly flared, "Have you two stopped eating your boogies? And wetting the bed?" She crouched down to little Regulus, "You do know that if you wet the bed at Hogwarts, that Professor Slughorn won't even hesitate to throw you to the giant squid in the lake. He'll just open the dungeon window and toss you right into its mouth!"

Regulus looked at her, tears welling up in his eyes.

Andromeda interrupted, "That's not true, Regulus, don't worry. Professor Slughorn is a great head of house, I promise. He loves our family."

Regulus attempted to blink away his tears, "Even if I wet the bed by accident?"

"Yes, even if you wet the bed. He's a very understanding man," she said as she smoothed out Regulus' curls.

Bellatrix turned to her sister, "Why do you have to ruin all of the fun, Andy?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't necessarily call making an 8 year-old cry 'fun.'"

Narcissa interrupted, "Come on, Bella, let's go make sure the house elves have finished making the first course."

Bellatrix snorted at Andromeda before turning and walking away towards the kitchens. Sirius, Regulus and Andromeda were left alone in the entrance way.

Sirius looked up at Andromeda just as his two other cousins had walked away, "There's not really a giant squid is there?"

Andromeda looked down at Sirius, "Well, yes, that part is true." She saw the fear that had just erupted from Sirius' eyes, and attempted to correct herself, "But I heard he's very friendly! One of my friends swore that he went swimming in the lake and the giant squid never even bothered him."

She looked at both of them, seeing their newly found apprehension, and continued, "Both of you need to realize that no matter what anyone says, Hogwarts is an amazing place. Don't listen to anyone that tells you differently, do you understand?" They both nodded. "Good, that's good. Nothing Bellatrix says is true anyways. I'd rather you trust the giant squid than her."

They both laughed at this, which made Andromeda relax. The last thing she wanted was for Bellatrix to make her two favorite cousins afraid of Hogwarts.

Regulus' stomach growled loudly, which made Sirius laugh even more. "Sounds like he's got a giant squid in there, Andy!"

"Oh no I would definitely say that sounds more like a family of trolls."

Sirius suddenly stopped laughing, "Wait, they don't have trolls at Hogwarts, do they?"

Andromeda chuckled. "No, you thickhead! There hasn't been a troll at Hogwarts in forever! And I doubt there will be any time soon."

Regulus smiled. "No, there _will_ be a troll coming in this year! And his name is Sirius Black!"

All three of them laughed at this. Andromeda suddenly realized that she could replace both of her sisters with these two boys and be perfectly happy for the rest of her life. She never laughs unless it is in private in response to a joke her father made in a whisper. This is what family is supposed to be, she thought to herself. And with that she took Regulus' outstretched hand and led both of her cousins to the dining room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: An Honorable Engagement**

By the time Regulus, Sirius, and Andromeda made it into the dining room, everyone had already sat down. Bellatrix and Narcissa looked up as they entered, but the adults were so enveloped in their discussion that they didn't seem to realize the other three members of the party had arrived. Regulus and Sirius took their seats next to their mum on one side of the long table, while the three sisters and their mum sat on the other. Both of the men, Uncle Orion and Andromeda's father, sat at the two heads of the table as Black male heirs must.

The grand dining room was just that- grand. It was a dark room that boasted a table long enough for triple the amount of people it was currently hosting. It was an ancient Black heirloom, of course, and with the right spell it could lengthen or widen into whatever the family needed. It was a dark black wood that is said to have been used by Salazar Slytherin himself. Whether or not that was true, Andromeda didn't know. All she knew is that the amount of luxury wasn't necessary for a family dinner. The freshly polished silver candelabras and chandelier, along with the green and black vine patterned wallpaper were not necessary. You shouldn't have to impress family, Andromeda thought to herself, yet here she was in a corset that wouldn't allow her to breathe and shoes that strangled her toes.

"I just don't understand what that Dumbledore is thinking nowadays," Orion Black said as he took a sip of dark red wine.

"At first it was excusable, but now the numbers are so large that I fear Hogwarts is becoming a hazardous environment," Walburga said with a matter of fact attitude.

Little Regulus interrupted the conversation, "Numbers of what mummy?"

Walburga looked down at her son and sighed. "The number of mudbloods they allow into that school, dear. I fear they are taking the focus away from stellar wizards such as yourself and your brother."

Andromeda immediately felt the usual discomfort that ensued from her family's political commentary. She can understand why they are frustrated with the current integration of muggleborns, but to instill that hatred into a young boy like Regulus is sickening. He should be allowed to decide for himself whether he likes muggleborns or not.

For Andromeda, it was at moments like these that a small portion of appreciation bloomed toward her parents. While her parents did believe that muggles and muggleborns alike are inferior to ancient and pure bloodlines, they rarely speak with the amount of hatred and disgust toward them in such a casual way like her Aunt and Uncle do. She rarely ever heard her mother speak out against them on a regular basis, while she usually fueled her hatred toward her daughters' appearance or the state of the house. Andromeda's father, Cygnus, stayed in his office most days, so she hardly ever heard him say any racial slurs either. However, once her Aunt and Uncle were in town, her father and mother agreed to their comments and contributed some of their own thoughts. It was only when they arrive that she ever hears her parents speak out about it at all.

"Well thank goodness all of my girls are smart enough to keep the attention on their individual success, and not anyone else's," said Andromeda's father with a smile and a wink towards his daughters.

"Oh and we have no doubt Sirius and Regulus will do the same exact thing. Of course, they will be at the top of Slytherin house for their years," Orion said.

"Andromeda will be sure that Sirius knows his whereabouts when he arrives. She is Head Girl, you know," Cygnus said with a look of pride to his daughter.

Andromeda blushed and smiled, she didn't like to be the center of attention very much.

Aunt Walburga turned her gaze towards her, "Ah, so it is official?"

Andromeda cleared her throat. "Yes, I got the letter with the badge yesterday."

Walburga didn't break her gaze before asking, "So what does that mean, exactly? What can you do?"

"Er…well I can… I'm basically seen as an authority figure towards the younger kids and my own year. If I see any misbehaving, I have the authority to write detention slips or send them to Professor McGonagall. I also help her with any duties she needs carried out throughout the year, like patrolling the halls at night to make sure-"

"That's all wonderful, dear, but I mean what can you do?" Walburga interrupted with a look of exasperation.

"I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean," she said truthfully. All of her family was looking at her now, which made her corset seem a lot tighter than when the dinner had started.

Walburga lifted her glass of wine and took a sip and placed it back down on the table, never breaking her eyes away from her niece. "So, theoretically, if you didn't like one of your classmates… or say they were a muggleborn, what are you allowed to do?"

Andromeda tried to swallow the lump of nerves that had formed in her throat. "I'm not allowed to abuse my responsibilities," she said as she looked at her mother for a nod of approval. Her mother widened her eyes, begging her to add something else to her answer. "I mean, unfortunately of course. I wish I could put all of the people I don't like in detention."

Walburga smiled slyly, nodding. "Don't we all, dear?"

The adults laughed at this, and Andromeda and her sisters weakly chuckled. After the laughter had died down, the adults continued on in their social commentary, and Andromeda breathed a sigh of relief- the focus was no longer on her.

Bellatrix leaned to her sister and whispered in her ear, "Will you relax? You're making a fool of yourself."

"It's not my fault I didn't understand her question," Andromeda snapped back in a hushed voice.

"You knew exactly what she was asking, don't lie."

Before Andromeda could respond, the house elves brought the first course of freshly buttered wheat bread and various fruits. As usual, there was way too much food for the family to eat with even more courses to follow.

Lifting up a vine of grapes, Orion looked at his brother-in-law over the table. "Now Cygnus, you are being quite unfair to us all."

Andromeda's father smiled. "Any why is that, brother?"

"You've brought us all the way over here yet you have failed to tell us why! Although we love your company and your food, Walburga and I have been anxious since your letter was sent."

Cygnus cleared his throat and looked at his wife, who returned a smile. He then looked at all three of his daughters, who awaited their father's words with just as much suspense as the rest of the table.

"Well, my dearest family, we need to expect some changes to be happening soon. They will be very exciting, yet frightening at the same time." He grabbed Bellatrix's hand then and continued, "I have been in continual conversation with Maximus Lestrange for some time now."

Orion interrupted, "Regarding what, exactly?"

Cygnus smiled. "Regarding his son Rodolphus and our Bellatrix."

Andromeda couldn't be sure, but she swore she could see Bellatrix flinch and her hand tighten around her father's. It was quick, and after Andromeda had blinked, Bellatrix had composed herself again, though her complexion was paler than a couple moments before.

"I am proud to say that Maximus and I have come to an incredible agreement regarding their engagement. The young boy has made his official proposal to me, and I have accepted on behalf of the Black family. We plan that the wedding should take place during winter break, that way everyone will be in town."

The table erupted into excitement. Sirius and Regulus started giggling, and Walburga and Orion started questioning Andromeda's parents immediately. Narcissa and Andromeda started whispering to each other and exchanging glances. The only person who wasn't moving or talking at the table was Bellatrix, who seemed to be frozen.

"Well are they a pure family?"

"I heard they have muggle blood from down the line, are you sure they are honorable enough?"

"Who is this boy? Is he a nice boy? Did he make good grades in school?"

"Was he in Slytherin?"

"What did he say in his proposal?"

"I have to admit, Cygnus. I'm a little hurt that you didn't consider telling us before you made the decision."

Amid all the questions, this was the only comment that caught Andromeda's Father's attention. Cygnus snapped toward Orion and narrowed his eyes at him like a snake ready to strike. "I didn't see the need. She is my daughter, and Maximus is a great friend of mine. I trust him, and I have met the boy numerous times. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were friends in school as well. They are more than comfortable with each other. Lastly, they have proven their bloodline and its purity. I'm a little hurt, Orion, that you don't trust my judgement. Need I remind you that I am head of the Black family, and don't necessarily need anyone's permission to marry my daughter."

Orion looked down at his new bowl of carrot spice soup, and began spooning it into his mouth. One thing Andromeda admired about her father was that he never allowed anyone to undermine his position or his decisions. He could persuade anyone to agree with him, and could shut up anyone who tried to fight against him.

Walburga broke the silence, "Of course we trust your decision, Cygnus. It's just a little out of the blue for us all. We are sure his family is legitimate and worthy enough for our Bellatrix and we know you made a brilliant decision."

Cygnus smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate that. Bellatrix, you haven't said a word. Is there something wrong?"

Suddenly everyone's eyes darted to the eldest Black sister, who was seemingly studying the steaming bowl of soup like her Uncle was moments before. She had not moved nor spoken since the news. Andromeda's heart leapt to her sister. She couldn't imagine the feeling of having no say in her own engagement. She must be beside herself with grief, Andromeda concluded.

"I am ecstatic, father," Bellatrix said strongly as she raised her head. "It would be my honor to marry such a pure family."

With the smile that was plastered on her face and new color that had gone to her complexion, Bellatrix fooled the entire table. Andromeda knew her sister better, however. She knew that Bellatrix never desired to marry. She had never felt any attraction, emotional or physical, to anyone. She had once confessed to Andromeda that the very thought of marriage and raising children had made her sick. There is no way that Bellatrix is as content with this as she puts out to be.

However, her father didn't pick up on this. He reached out and cradled his daughter's face, "I knew you would be happy, dear. Everything I do is for you."

Bellatrix smiled and kissed her father's hand. She returned to studying her bowl of soup, seemingly not able to say anything else.

Andromeda wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort her sister. The horror that must be going through her mind is indescribable. One minute, she is a free bird. The next, she has become locked in a cage and her wings clipped for eternity. The worst part of it all is that her own father is the one holding the key to her entrapment and he has no idea of what he has just done. Instead, he smiles, and takes sips of soup and wine, looking at his family proudly.

After words of congratulations towards both Bellatrix and her father, the third course is served. It is a honey roasted chicken, with potato pearls and toasted peas. The house elves bow and exit with complete silence.

Orion clears his throat after swallowing a spoonful of potatoes. "So is that it then, Cygnus? No more matters to discuss? Is this news the only announcement tonight?"

Cygnus chews on a bite of chicken while looking at his family. Andromeda notices small beads of sweat collecting at his hairline and a slight twitch of his mustache. She hasn't seen her father this nervous in years and she suspects that this last announcement is the reason why.

Cygnus pats his mouth with his napkin and takes a sip of wine before starting. "This news will be a surprise for everyone at this table, actually, even for my own wife." Druella raises her eyebrows while he continues, "I have been in conversation with Abraxas Malfoy recently as well."

Orion tenses, "Malfoy? You've been in conversation with a Malfoy?'

Cygnus continues as if his brother-in-law never spoke. "We've been working at the ministry together, he and I both being head of Magical Law Enforcement, as you all know. We have been sharing the title, which I must say is better than someone else getting promoted all together. I have come to know him and his family and I must say that I enjoy their company. Specifically, I have enjoyed his son, Lucius Malfoy, quite a lot."

Andromeda immediately recognizes the name and imagines the pale white haired boy who keeps silent in class and picks on all of the first and second years. A spark of hatred ignites in her. She hasn't liked Lucius Malfoy since the moment she met him in her very own first year.

Cygnus turns to Andromeda and addresses her. "I don't know if you know this, my dear, but he has received Head Boy status this year. He got his badge the same day you did. His father and I were quite excited for you both-"

Druella interrupted her husband, "Darling, please get to the point. The chicken is getting cold."

Cygnus turns back around to face the table and pats his forehead with a handkerchief from his pocket.

Cygnus clears his throat. "The first time I mentioned Andromeda's name in casual conversation, Lucius seemed to light up quite noticeably. I thought it was peculiar and asked Abraxas about it. He said his son is quite intrigued with our little Andy. He said there are times where he will talk about her for hours on end."

Sirius and Regulus both looked at Andromeda and smiled at her while wiggling their eyebrows and making kiss faces to tease her. Andromeda silently kicked their legs from under the table, and they stopped abruptly.

Druella looked at her husband, "Does he wish to court her?"

Cygnus turned to Andromeda and smiled. "He does. He wishes to court you. He said he has wanted to court you for a while now. I heard his intentions and they seem extremely pure. I agreed, on your behalf of course. I feel it is a great decision."

Silence. Dead silence. That is what received this announcement. Andromeda, stunned, followed suit.

Orion was the first person to speak. "A Malfoy, Cygnus? Of all the admirers Andromeda must have received, you choose a Malfoy?"

Walburga joined with her husband, "The Malfoys betrayed us not so long ago, Cygnus. I thought you would have remembered."

"Yes but the locket was returned in perfect condition and then gifted to Andromeda when she was a child. There is no need to fuss over matters that happened years ago, especially when they were mended," Andromeda's father said.

Walburga continued, "This was not just any locket. This was Salazar Slytherin's locket. His very own that was passed down for generations. It has not been the same since the Malfoy's stole it. For all we know it's a fake! They are traitors! How are we to trust our Andromeda with one of them?"

Andromeda looks at her Aunt in surprise at her raising her voice. Andromeda remembers the locket quite well. It terrified her as a child when her Grandmother gifted it to her. The snakes etched on it seemed to slither, as if they were alive. According to the Black family, it was their birthright, as they were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, but it was sold to a collector named Hepzibah Smith years ago. Andromeda's great grandfather, Cygnus Black II, bought it from the woman before he died, and it had been kept in the family since. That is until Brutus Malfoy, out of jealousy of Cygnus, stole the locket out of his dead hands. Some say that when Pollux Black, Andromeda's grandfather, found out the locket had been taken from his father, he scared Brutus to the point of death. Others say he poisoned the man and took the locket back. Andromeda has never been sure of which story to believe. Ever since the Black family has taken back the locket, however, most everyone has said that something is different about it. It's as if Brutus Malfoy stole it to tamper with it, and didn't need it any longer. For whatever reason, it has shattered relations between the Black and Malfoy family ever since.

"You must be mistaken, Walburga. Andromeda is ours to decide, not yours. This is our daughter, not yours. If Cygnus feels that the past should stay in the past, then as the head of the Black family, he is entitled to have all of us agree or risk banishment. Isn't that right darling?" Druella snapped, reaching forward and grasping her husband's hand.

Cygnus cleared his throat. "You are right. It is ultimately my decision. I can understand your resentment and your caution towards the idea. I am asking you all, begging you, to trust me. If you would like the meet them, I have invited Abraxas and Lucius over for us to host them for dinner."

Druella let out what sounded like a squeak and her eyes widened. "Dinner? When? When did you tell them they can visit?"

Cygnus turned to her "I said tomorrow night would be perfect." He turned to face the rest of the table, "You are all welcome to use our spare rooms for the night so that we might all welcome them together. Walburga, I know Druella would love your help in getting ready for our guests."

Walburga looked at her husband as they exchanged a look. Andromeda couldn't seem to understand what type of look it was, but she could tell neither of them was happy about the situation. Sirius and Regulus exchanged looks too. For a moment, everyone was silent as the shock settled in. Andromeda was stunned and mentally in denial of what her father was proposing.

Andromeda's father sensed the tension in the air and spoke "I understand this is a lot to ask of all of you. I understand that this will not be an easy hatchet to bury. You all must try to realize that, however many disagreements our two families have, they are just as pure as us. Their ancestry is just as ancient as ours. While they may have made some foolish mistakes, I feel it is best that we try to mend it for the sake of keeping pure bloodlines in power and strong. Pure bloodlines that have not betrayed the qualities of their ancestry are few and far between, I'm afraid. It is hard to find any that are as loyal and ancient as they claim. The Malfoys, though mistakes have been made, are honorable. We need to maintain pleasurable relations with them."

Orion swallowed a large gulp of his dark red wine and patted his lips with his napkin. "What exactly are Lucius' intentions with Andromeda?"

Andromeda's eyes snapped to her father, desperate for an answer to this question as well. Cygnus' eyes avoided her own, as if ashamed of what he was about to say.

"His intentions are…pure," he answered shortly.

"Pure? What exactly does that mean?"

"His intentions are to gain a relationship with her, to get to know her. And, if fate grants itself a friend, to make a worthy proposal for her hand."

Andromeda suddenly choked on the water she had just sipped. Bellatrix patted her back lightly in an effort to help her sister gain composure. Once she had, she found everyone's eyes on her expectantly, as if they expected her to react in some sort of manner. Instead, Andromeda found herself studying her fingers that were folded in her lap.

Her heart was beating loudly, to the point where her pulse muted out the voices of her family discussing anything further. She didn't care about what they were saying. How could she focus on anything else at the moment? Her father had just made plans to marry her off to some boy, just as he did with Bellatrix. He held the key to her freedom just as he had with her older sister, yet he had not locked her cage completely. It was not final, she thought to herself, the proposal was not fixed in stone. It hadn't even happened yet. What if Lucius decides otherwise? What if Andromeda can manage to repulse him? No. She could not. She could not purposefully detract him from the idea of marriage; her mother would find out and she would be banished on the spot. How was she to survive with that snake of a boy? Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she thought; perhaps her judgement had gotten the better of her. With that thought, she remembered him hexing a first year girl's teeth green and laughing while she sobbed in embarrassment. He was a snake, a disgusting self-righteous boy who desired nothing more but to see everyone believe they are inferior to him. What was she to do with a boy like that?

"Eat your pudding, Andy. You look like you're going to be sick," Bellatrix whispered.

Andromeda's eyes snapped up to her sister, who looked extremely composed while she ate in silence. As Andromeda's shaky hand lifted her spoon and scooped her pudding, she couldn't help but wonder how her sister could look so stable, so calm. How was she managing? She had seen this coming, she had time to prepare. Andromeda did not have time to prepare for this. She realized suddenly how unfair her father was being. How could he announce something so private in front of the whole family, where he knew she had to act delighted? How could he do this so publicly, without preparing her at all?

"Bloody hell, Andy. Eat your damn pudding," Bellatrix snapped.

Andromeda realized that though she had lifted the spoon of pudding, she had yet to eat it. It had been hovering in front of her face. She quickly swallowed the dessert and followed with another spoon. As she was focusing on not letting her hands shake, she felt something on her upper leg. She looked down to find Narcissa's hand, opened expectedly at her thigh. Andromeda looked at her younger sister, yet she did not return the gaze. Slowly, Andromeda reached for the hand and grasped it under the table so no one could see. Narcissa squeezed her hand in an effort to comfort her, and stroked her thumb lightly. Andromeda's breathing slowed at once, yet her heart continued to race. At least she wasn't the only one who saw the cruelty in what just unfolded. At least one of her sisters could see it too. Andromeda wasn't alone.

Their hands remained intertwined until the empty bowls of pudding were taken away to be cleaned and Cygnus asked the family to retire for the night. The two hands broke as they both stood at their father's orders and left the dining room. Andromeda knew she was moving down the hallway, yet didn't know how. It wasn't until she looked down at her feet that she realized she was walking.

She looked forward at her two younger cousins who were talking in hushed tones in front of her. Would they force a proposal on an innocent girl one day? Or worse, would they force a marriage on their daughter and entrap them for the entirety of their future? Would her two favorite cousins grow to be just like her father?

She numbly put one foot in front of the other up the staircase and kissed her cousins' foreheads goodnight as they ran to the opposite side of the upper level to where their spare bedrooms are. They had stayed there multiple times and had accumulated enough clothes and supplies to stay at the manor for months. Normally, Andromeda would be excited about them staying a night or two, but tonight was not the night to be excited.

She continued behind her sisters down the hallway towards their rooms, all the while avoiding eye contact from the portraits that she knew were busy whispering about the news. She mumbled a goodnight to her sisters and closed her door, locking it for extra measure.

Andromeda took a moment to look around her room. Yes, everything was just as she left it. For some reason, that gave her comfort. Nobody had touched her beloved books, her collection of Quidditch magazines, nor had anyone sat in her rocking chair while she was downstairs. Nobody had control over this room but her. Nobody could tell her to move out of this room because they didn't want her there, nor could anyone take her things away from her. The minimal amount of control she just discovered gave her heart a reason to calm down; she had complete sovereignty over this part of her life. This room, with all of its contents, was the one aspect of her life that she, and only she, could make decisions about.

She walked around and stroked the spines of the books. She picked one out at random, desperately searching for a way to escape her thoughts, and opened the pages. She sat down in her chair and rocked back and forth. Immediately, everything was at ease. Her breathing slowed, her heart calmed, and she was content. As she was reading about a world separate of her own, she forgot her own troubles, her family, their morals, her courtship, her sisters. All of these things dissolved into nothingness as she turned from page to page and rocked back and forth.

Somehow things weren't hopeless, she thought to herself, as slowly her reading light faded and everything went dark.

* * *

 **N/A: Hope you guys have an amazing rest of your week! Chapter 3 will come out next Monday xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello to my favorite people in the whole world. What would I do without you guys and your constant support and love? So sorry this is late. College applications and school and theater has consumed my entire life. But good news- I have gotten into two of my favorite universities!**

 **Enough of me. Thank you all for being patient and not hating me...I hope. Here is the next chapter! Enjoy xoxo**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Company**

Andromeda awoke with a very sharp strain in her neck from having fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable position. There were numerous knocks on her door before she had come to, and she hurriedly wiped the dried drool from the corner of her mouth and put the opened book from her lap back where it came from before opening the door.

In front of the doorway stood Sirius, his curls even more messy than they had been when he arrived last night. He looked up at Andromeda excitedly and began speaking at once.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up! I reckon you were fast asleep weren't you?"

Andromeda smoothed her hair back and blinked towards the blinding sunlight coming from around her. "Yeah, I..err…"

"Can we go play Quidditch out back? Regulus is getting his equipment on and I found an old broom we can use!"

"Sirius, what time is it?"

Sirius' eyebrows knitted together and shrugged. Andromeda rolled her eyes and went back inside her room to look at the clock that not only told her what time it was, but also told her where her family members were located around the house. Currently, the rest of her family members were in their bedrooms. It was 7:30 a.m. Andromeda walked back to Sirius who was waiting expectantly by the doorway.

"Sirius, please explain to me why you want to play Quidditch this early."

Sirius shoved past Andromeda and ran inside her room to sit in her rocking chair. It was his favorite chair in the house. "Because I can't miss a day of training! The Slytherin team will be counting on me to be ready to play when I start school!"

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "It's extremely rare that first years ever get on house teams. Please go to back to bed for a couple more hours Sirius."

Behind them, Regulus darted in the room, wearing a Falmouth Falcons jersey that reached his knees and wrists. In his hands he carried a broom that was shedding bristles and Quidditch balls that were peeling off the dragon leather.

"Come on, Andy! While the adults are still asleep!" Regulus said as he handed his cousin the broom and grabbed her hand with his new free one.

Andromeda stood her ground. "Regulus, sit."

Regulus looked up to his cousin as he sat on the ground and looked at Sirius.

"Andy doesn't want to play with us. She's too old now," Sirius said as he got off the rocking chair and sat on the floor next to his brother.

Andromeda sighed and looked down at both of them, "It's not that at all. I would love to play Quidditch with you both, but that broom is a safety hazard and those quaffles are breaking in your hands."

Regulus looked at the broom and his shoulders fell. "Well I'm up and I brushed my teeth and everything. I can't go back to sleep now!"

Andromeda took the broom and Quidditch balls from Regulus and put them under her bed. She didn't want to get bristles everywhere and she'll put them back later. She looked at her cousins, both sitting expectantly at her, waiting for her to come up with an idea to occupy them for the next hour before their parents woke up. It looks like she's not getting any more sleep with these two wide awake.

"Why don't we get an early breakfast then," she suggested. The two boys looked at each other.

"Without mum and dad?" Sirius asked.

"Well, we can eat now, and then you can have a second breakfast if you really want. "

Regulus' eyes widened. "A second breakfast?"

Andromeda chuckled. "Yeah, why not?"

As the boys made their way down the stairs, Andromeda changed into something more comfortable than the dinner dress she still had on from last night. Looking at the thing made her sick as she remembered everything that happened… everything her father said. Of all the boys, Lucius Malfoy? He was a white ferret, an albino swine that cared about no one else but himself. How on Earth could he ever hold a place in his cold heart for Andromeda? He must have other, more selfish intentions. Andromeda would have to keep alert for anything misleading and tell her father. But, if she did tell her father that Lucius seemed untrustworthy, would he even listen?

For the first time in her life, Andromeda didn't trust her father. The feeling made her light headed. Her father was always her ally, her best friend that snuck Quidditch magazines under her pillow and ordered her favorite cake to be made when she got straight O's on her O.W.L's. He always defended her towards her mother and kissed her forehead when she was scared. However, the usual feeling of warmth and loyalty she had always felt toward him was replaced with a cold, stomach churning feeling of anger and betrayal. Would he listen to her if she spoke out against Lucius?

"Alright there Andy?" Sirius' voice interrupted her thoughts.

Somehow she had blindly made it down to the door in front of the kitchen. Her thoughts had begun to numb her over like they did the night before. They were gnawing at her consciousness, yet she plastered a smile on her face and nodded to her cousin. She opened the door to the kitchen, suddenly beginning to feel warmth in her fingertips again.

When she opened the door, she found the usually booming and high-wired kitchen deserted. There were no elves baking or cooking, nor did she find any polishing silverware or folding napkins.

"Where are they all?" Regulus asked, peering into the room.

"Asleep. Last night was a big night for them. They'll probably be awake in an hour."

"Do house elves sleep?" Sirius asked, looking up at his cousin.

"Of course they do. What, do you think they stay awake waiting for you to tell them what to do?"

Sirius shrugged. "That's what mum said. She said they only live off of the orders we give them."

Andromeda rolled her eyes, what an absurd thing to teach a young boy.

"Well, no matter. I'll just whip something up. I'm going to need your help, boys."

Andromeda walked towards the sink on the left wall and while she was washing her hands, looked about the room. It was the least luxurious of all of the rooms in the manor, but also one of the largest. The walls were a simple clay brick. There was only one window that was placed on the wall that held all of the cabinets filled with pots and pans. On the roof of the kitchen hung various cooking tools that were dangling above two rows of tables. Andromeda tried to imagine the elves reaching for these tools, seeing as how even if she wanted to get one, she would have to reach her arm to the fingertips to reach it. On the far right wall was a large fire oven where everything was baked. It led up to the chimney. It was massive enough to bake the necessary foods for a party that could fill the manor.

Andromeda dried her hands against a clean rag that hung underneath the sink and looked toward her cousins, who were looking back at her with a look of apprehension.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked them both.

They looked at each other, with Regulus clearing his throat. "Well, it's just that dad told us that men never cook. And mum said that pureblood women never cook either, they get their elves to do it for them."

Andromeda looked at them both, and crossed her arms. She heard both of their stomachs growl.

"Oh, that's a shame. I suppose you're right. I guess the strawberry cinnamon waffles I was going to make will have to wait for another three hours. That is, if the adults will even want them. They'll probably order something boring like eggs and vegetables. But, if you truly think you're too high and mighty to cook, then that's what we'll have to do." Andromeda shrugged and walked out the kitchen, past her cousins who were giving her a stunned look.

Regulus called out to her down the hallway. "Strawberry cinnamon?"

Andromeda smiled and turned around. "Yes, strawberry cinnamon. The elves just picked out some fresh strawberries yesterday, too. I know exactly how to make them. What a shame, yeah?"

Sirius and Regulus looked at each other, as if a war was erupting in their heads as to what to do. Finally, Sirius turned to Andromeda and sighed.

"Okay, okay. We'll help you."

Andromeda walked towards them both, her arms still crossed. "Are you two sure? You are men and can't cook, as it were."

"Well, we're hungry."

"Ah, yes. But don't you think your hands will melt off as soon as you start mixing the batter? Seeing as how you're men and men can't cook."

"The waffles won't make themselves, Andy! We need food, now!" Regulus said as he grabbed Andy's hand and dragged her into the kitchen.

They spent that morning cracking eggs and cutting strawberries and finally ended with a delicious batch of some of the best waffles any of them have ever tasted. By the time they were done, Sirius and Regulus both had powder on their faces and had smiles bigger than the waffles themselves. The two of them seemed to forget their worries about the act of cooking as soon as they successfully cracked their first eggs.

As Andromeda was cleaning up and the boys were eating the last few waffles, Regulus turned to her.

"Where didya learn how ta' make these?" He asked with a mouth full.

Andromeda hesitated. She had read the recipe from a muggle book she had found in the Hogwarts Library, but didn't know whether or not to tell them. "I..err… my friend at school wrote down the recipe for me. She said her house elves make them all the time."

"Do you think Lucius would like them?" Sirius asked.

Andromeda dropped the pan she was scrubbing into the sink as her heart plummeted into her stomach.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Like, when you and Lucius Malfoy get married, do you think he'll let you make these?"

Andromeda gripped the edge of the sink, not looking at her cousins. "Married? Who… who said anything about marriage?'

"Isn't that what a courtship is for? To marry?" Sirius asked, suddenly getting worried about his cousin.

"No. Well, yes. But it doesn't always end up like that," she said as she picked up the pan with shaky hands and resumed to scrub it.

"So you don't want to marry him?" Regulus chimed in.

"I don't really know him. Not yet, at least. I'm…I'm sure he's a great boy. Father wouldn't let him court me unless he was suitable." Andromeda was saying this more to reassure herself than her cousins.

"Well, don't worry, Andy. If you don't like him you can always tell your parents and that's that! You can't marry someone you don't love, right?" Regulus said.

"Yeah, and if he doesn't treat you good we'll make him sorry," Sirius said with an attempt at sounding threatening.

She didn't notice the tears that had welled up in her eyes before they were sliding down her cheeks. She quickly whipped them off and turned to face her favorite members of her family and smiled at them both. She walked over and cleaned the flour off their faces and tucked their curls away. She kissed them on their foreheads, and both of them blushed.

"Will you two promise me something?" She asked. Both of them nodded. "Promise me that neither of you will ever change. No matter how old you get, I want your hearts to remain just as big as they are now. Promise me that, will you?"

"Well, if it's a proper promise it has to be a pinky promise," Regulus said as he outstretched his pinky finger.

Andromeda reached out her own and intertwined her fingers with theirs, hoping that this legitimization would hold until they grew old. She didn't want these two to grow into her father or her uncle. Their hearts were as big as their stomachs- which were rather massive as they had shared 12 waffles.

"Why don't you two go upstairs and get ready for the day. Clean up and brush your teeth again. Remember, this is our secret. You can't tell anybody else about this morning, or else we'll have to share our waffles next time," she said to them as they all stood up.

They both swore their best effort to secrecy as they walked out the door and up the stairs. Andromeda finished cleaning and had just hung her last pan on the roof fixture when she heard footsteps. Her heart sank. If anybody caught her in the kitchen she would be punished beyond words. Her mother's threat of banishment from the day before suddenly rang in her ears.

From behind the door opposite of the one that Andromeda was currently sneaking out of came the source of the footsteps: two young house elves that were rubbing the sleep out of their tennis ball shaped eyes. They looked up at Andromeda and jumped to attention.

"Is everything okay Mistress Andromeda?" One of them said.

"How can we be honored to serve you Mistress Andromeda?" The other followed. Both of them bowed towards her.

She breathed a massive sigh of relief and smiled kindly at them. "No worries, you two. I have changed my mind. Please go about your regular routine," she said.

Both of their eyes widened. "Are you sure Mistress Andromeda? There is nothing we can do? Please, our gracious Mistress, tell us what it is you desire and we will make it."

She crouched down to their level and brushed some dirt off of their large ears. "I promise you both that I am fine. The only thing I want from you is a promise that you won't tell anyone I was here."

They both nodded and blushed at the kindness she was showing them. Andromeda stood and walked to exit when a thought stopped her. She turned back around. "If you two see that there are some eggs, flour, maybe some milk and a dash of cinnamon missing from the cabinets, don't worry, there's more in storage. Oh, and we're out of strawberries." And with that she left the two stunned elves and walked back upstairs to get ready for the day- whatever it may bring.

…

Through the window in Andromeda's room the sun was beginning to fall. She would have to take her nose out of the book that it's been buried in all day and face her reality. She had only stopped reading to eat a very small lunch and interact with her cousins from time to time. Other than that, she has been sitting in her rocking chair flipping page after page since her morning adventures. She had desperately hoped that she would be able to jump into her book and leave her family for the night. However, here she was, still sitting in her room.

Her door swung open just as Andromeda was closing her book. She looked over and found her mother by the doorway.

Andromeda stepped toward her. "Is there something wrong, mum?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the Malfoys will be here in an hour so you must get ready now, do you understand?" She said firmly.

 _Well yes I do understand,_ Andromeda thought, _I can speak English._

"Yes I understand."

"Right. And because of your atrocious attire last night, you have broken my trust in you being able to dress yourself. So, I have taken the liberty of picking out your dress for the evening," she said, crossing her arms.

Druella snapped her fingers and four house elves walked from behind her, all of them carrying a black dress box. They walked in unison toward Andromeda, who bent down to pick up the package.

"It was mine when I was your age. I wore it the day I met your father. Go on, open it," Druella said, with a hint of excitement.

Perhaps this was her mother's way of showing her love. Andromeda wanted to savor this and placed the box on her bed to open it. What was inside nearly took her breath away. She unfolded the dress and looked at it in the light.

It was magnificent. Andromeda held a ball gown that reached the floor. It was made up of a deep, forest green silk that was perfectly plated at the waist. Above the waist was a black lace that layered on top of the silk and extended up to the neck and made up the sleeves. The neckline and the sleeves were sheer and only covered by this black lace design. It was perfect.

Her mother cleared her throat impatiently. "Well, do you like it?"

"It's stunning, mum. I love it," she said without taking her eyes off of the fabric.

Her mother's voice suddenly started getting very strange. "That's good. Good. I'm…happy you like it."

Andromeda looked to her mother and saw that tears had begun welling up in her eyes. Andromeda placed the dress on her bed and walked to her mother. Without speaking, she wrapped her arms around her. To her surprise, her mother returned the hug. Andromeda was shocked by this, but still loved every minute of it. She had never seen her mother cry before and never had she even imagined hugging her. But here they were, both desperately clinging on to each other, letting the moment speak for itself.

Druella suddenly cleared her throat and broke apart, whipping her tears off quickly. She brushed a strand of Andromeda's hair from her face and cupped her chin.

"You're going to look beautiful in it. Well, as long as you fix that hair and pinch your cheeks," she said.

Andromeda smiled and nodded. And with that, Druella turned and left, closing the door behind her.

She turned to look at the dress again and realized that she had no idea how to put it on. She examined the thing for twenty minutes and couldn't figure it out. She took the dress and knocked on Bellatrix's door.

"I'm busy, Andy, what do you want?" Bellatrix said as she opened her door.

Andromeda held out the dress and looked at her sister, "Can you help me with this?"

Bellatrix laughed and ushered her inside. She examined the dress and looked at her sister. "Just what I thought. It's an enchanted dress, Andy. There's no corset or tie to do. The fabric adjusts itself to every person that wears it. Just stand still."

Bellatrix grabbed her wand and hastily whispered a few enchantments that Andromeda had never heard before. Suddenly, the black lace began to uncoil like snakes and the silk unraveled itself like a rug. It began to cling on to Andy, the silk tightening itself around her hips and falling to the perfect length at her feet, the lace slithering like a dozen snakes around her waist and her chest. With a final tug, the movement stopped.

"There. Now look in the mirror," Bellatrix said as she angled her sister's shoulders towards her own reflection.

What Andromeda saw in this reflection was another girl entirely. She was beautiful, but not Andy. Or was it?

Bellatrix scanned her sister up and down and sighed. "Actually, you know what? Stay here. I'll do your hair and makeup. I can finish up what I was doing later. Sit down."

Andromeda did as she was told and sat still. She was quiet for some time, allowing her sister to mold her hair into different shapes and forms in silence. That is until curiosity ignited in her, and she couldn't hold her tongue.

"Do you love that Lestrange boy, Bella?" she blurted out.

Bellatrix's hands froze in mid-braid and she seemed to have taken a deep breath before answering, "No."

Andromeda looked at her sister, regretting that she had asked altogether. Of course she didn't love him. She should have known her sister better than that. However, Bellatrix was the only person who could offer Andromeda advice about this entire situation. Her desperation for help fueled her continued interrogation.

"Then what will you do?" she asked.

Bellatrix had managed to continue with her sister's hair while answering. "Pretend like I love him."

"Aren't you angry?"

"Of course I am. I never want to marry and I know that his family will pressure me about producing a male heir. So, I'll have to have kids too."

"But that's not what you want, Bella."

Bellatrix snorted. "Do you really think we live in a household where we're going to get everything we want?"

This silenced Andromeda for some time. She began to panic. If Bellatrix couldn't find a way out of this, then how was she supposed to? Bellatrix is the most stubborn person Andromeda knew. If she was surrendering, then what would happen to Andromeda?

"What should I do?" she whispered after some time.

"Pretend you love him, Andromeda, if you know what's good for you. Pretend you're happy, that being courted by him is your life's desire and your entire meaning has been fulfilled by him. One day, you'll pretend so much that it will become your reality. Hopefully, Lucius really does love you. Make him pamper you, spoil you. Make his life's goal be your happiness, even if his happiness is of no concern to you. Make him satisfy your every whim. That's what I've done to Rodolphus; I've made him my personal house elf." Bellatrix let out a high pitched laugh before continuing, "I don't give a horse's arse about him, but he is obsessed with me. Where do you think I got that necklace of black pearls?"

Andromeda couldn't help but smile. Of course Bellatrix would find a way to make herself happy. Somehow, this new possibility delighted Andromeda. She imagined a life with Lucius Malfoy showering her with presents and kissing the ground she walked on. This new image gave her enough hope to last through the evening without passing out.

After a few moments in silence, Bellatrix clapped her hands. "Done! I did amazing, did I not? Look in the mirror!"

Andromeda looked up to see her reflection in the dresser. The new pink in her cheeks and red on her lips were framed perfectly by the ringlets of hair that showered down from a beautiful maze of braids on her head. Her eyelashes were suddenly long enough to touch her eyebrows.

She stood up and hugged her sister tightly, letting every word of gratitude fuel the embrace. Bellatrix seemed to understand as she patted the silk on her back and let the moment last a few moments before breaking apart.

"Now _I've_ got to get ready. Go away so I can paint on my face," Bellatrix said with a smile.

Andromeda walked out of her room just as her mother screeched up the stairs.

"Girls! They will be here any minute! We need you down here this instant!"

Andromeda's heart started beating rapidly. Narcissa opened her door and smoothed out her hair. Andromeda was stunned to see that she had put on her best gown and perfectly groomed her hair. She looked magnificent, and Andromeda couldn't help the pang of jealousy that flared up in her. Also, she wondered why Narcissa would put so much attention into her looks for the night when it was Andromeda that Lucius wanted to court. Was Narcissa attempting to take away Lucius' attention? And why did Andromeda feel so jealous over that? She should want Narcissa to draw Lucius away, but for some odd reason, Andromeda suddenly wanted Lucius' eyes to be only on her.

"Why so fancy, Cissy?" She asked, trying to cover the bitterness with honest curiosity.

Narcissa looked down at her dress and knitted her eyebrows. "I dunno, honestly. Mum told me to wear my best and I figured this would do. Is it too much?"

Guilt suddenly washed over Andromeda. Of course Narcissa wouldn't purposefully do anything to hurt her sister.

"No," she answered. "You look wonderful."

Narcissa beamed at this response. "You look like a dream, Andy. That dress fits like a glove. Lucius will melt at the sight of you."

With that, Narcissa turned to walk down the hallway and the staircase.

Andromeda rushed down the stairs behind her, and followed her into the Grand ballroom. A few straggling house elves were polishing the three silver chandeliers that adorned the black room. An exquisite white marble fire place was being lit to the right side of the room. Except for this, the entirety of the room was complete with black; black tiles, black wood and black columns with white marble veins integrated throughout. The three gigantic silver chandeliers were enchanted to slither like snakes while still holding every candle. Above the fireplace was a family portrait of the three sisters, Cygnus, Druella, Walburga, Orion and Sirius and Regulus all looking extremely regal and pleasant. It was an ancient portrait, and changes with the family. If one of the family members is banished, they will disappear from the painting. If any of the family members age, so do their reflections in the frame.

Her mother and her Aunt Walburga were standing in the middle of the room, speaking to each other in hushed tones.

Andromeda spoke, her voice echoing against the tiles. "Where would you like me to wait, mother?"

Both her aunt and mother's heads snapped towards her as soon as they heard her voice. Andromeda could be mistaken, be she swore she saw her mother's eyes sparkle with tears at the sight of her.

Her Aunt cleared her throat, "The children are all waiting in the drawing room. The Malfoys will be here momentarily."

Bellatrix finally made it downstairs, ready in moments, and spoke behind Andromeda, "The drawing room? Why there?"

"The men will meet Lucius and his father at the doorway and bring them there to start the evening. Don't question, just do as we say," answered her mother sharply.

Bellatrix nodded curtly and grabbed Andromeda's arm, bringing her along back down where they both came.

They both walked down the same hallway that has Cygnus' office, but continued farther down to the drawing room. It was Andromeda's least favorite room in the whole manor. It boasted the family tapestry, inscribed with a family tree of every single descendant of the Black family. There were quite a few burn marks from those who were banished. The whole thing travels around the entirety of the room, with shelves of Ancient Black heirlooms on the left wall. There sits the infamous locket and various items that are said to be passed down from Salazar Slytherin himself. When Andromeda was little, she swear she could hear snakes hissing in this room and faint screams coming from the burn marks from the tapestry, as if each family member that had been banished off of it was eternally ingrained within the stiches. As she grew up, she heard the sounds less often, but the only reason she ever comes into this room is when she has to, like tonight.

"I don't understand why we have to stay here. I'm 19 years old, I'm not a child," Bellatrix hissed as she walked in and sat down on a loveseat.

"I think it's good that father and Uncle Orion greet them first. It makes a good first impression," Narcissa commented as she looked through the shelves of heirlooms.

Bellatrix snorted. "They should be meeting Andy first if anyone. It is her Lucius wants to marry."

Andromeda's eyes snapped up to her sister. "Why does everyone assume he wants to marry me? We don't even know each other!"

Bellatrix sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, of course. He just wants to have a playdate and be best mates with you! And be pen pals!" She crossed her legs and continued. "Andy, courtship is a one way ticket to an engagement. Don't play yourself as a fool."

This shut Andromeda up. Her sister's words cut into her like a cold knife, yet she knew she was right.

"I think this goes great with this stupid sweater vest mum made me wear. Whadya think Andy? Do you think the Malfoys would like it?" Sirius asked as he took the locket that broke ties between the Malfoys and Blacks until this point and held it around his neck.

Andromeda chuckled. "It doesn't match your eyes."

Just as Sirius was putting it back on its shelf, Andromeda could hear the entrance doors open from down the hallway and new voices booming. Her heart sank into her stomach as she singled out the voice of the white haired prat she avoided at all costs at school. Now here he was in her own house and here she was waiting to impress him in a gorgeous dress and perfected hair. How ironic.

Narcissa walked beside Andromeda and squeezed her wrist tenderly. "Just breathe, Andy. Don't forget to breathe."

Andromeda released a large sigh and offered a halfhearted smile to her sister.

She could hear her father's voice coming from the hallway. "Well, we haven't changed the estate since our ancestors built it from scratch. This is all authentically enchanted wood. According to my family's history, Salazar Slytherin helped build the house himself" After a few moments of mumbling that Andromeda couldn't understand, her father let out a laugh. "Yes! Wouldn't that be something Abraxas! That back there was my personal home office, and now we turn into the drawing room."

Andromeda's heart raced into her throat as her father and uncle turned the corner through the entrance way. Her father and uncle had gelled back their curls for the occasion, and as her uncle moved to the side she saw who she assumed to be Abraxas Malfoy.

He was a tall man and incredibly thin. Everything about him seemed long, as if he had been stretched by a muggle taffy machine. His torso and legs were just as spidery as his fingers, which donned a Malfoy family ring on the left hand. His neck seemed to go on for miles, and his face was a perfect oval with a crooked nose sticking out. He was incredibly pale, and the silver suit he wore didn't help him add any color to his complexion. His white hair fell below his shoulders. He made every hair on Andromeda's back stand tall. He was terrifying.

Behind him, pushed to the back of the group, was the ferret that boiled every ounce of blood in her body, Lucius Malfoy. He was tall, but not to the height of his spidery father. He was also not as thin, as Andromeda remembered he played on the Slytherin Quidditch team. If Andromeda had not hated him for the past six years of her life, she would have simply put that he was handsome. He was muscular and his face was perfectly proportioned and structured. He had more color in his complexion than his father, and his nose must have been inherited from his mother, Andromeda assumed, because it looked nothing like the one on his father's face. He had slicked his hair back into a smaller pony tail at the nape of his neck which just met the collar of his red velvet suit. His dark eyes had darted to Andromeda as soon as he had entered the room.

There was a moment of stillness as the room was filled by these newcomers. Cygnus cleared his throat and gestured to his daughters and nephews. "May I introduce the two of you to Sirius and Regulus Black. They are my sister's children. Sirius will be starting at Hogwarts this year, Lucius, if you would like to take him under your wing and lead the way for him! He's quite nervous."

Sirius looked down to his toes, his cheeks blushing.

"Of course, it would be an honor," Lucius said with a chilling smile to Sirius.

Andromeda swore at that moment that if she saw Lucius teach Sirius anything, she would stick her foot in a place where the rest of his guidance can go.

"And these are my three daughters. This is Bellatrix, my eldest. She graduated at the top of her Slytherin class. Narcissa, my youngest. And finally, Andromeda, my middle child. I'm sure you've heard quite a lot about her at this point, haven't you Abraxas?"

The spidery man let out a cold laugh. "Quite, yes. Between you and Lucius going on about her, I feel as if I already know this one."

He walked towards Andromeda in two long strides, becoming close enough to her to have his breath blow against her face. He smiled at her, and Andromeda could see that his teeth were just as long and thin as the rest of his body. It looked like the mouth of a werewolf, she noted, as he took her hand and kissed it lightly.

"It is quite an honor, _la princesse_ ," he said as he released her hand.

Andromeda attempted to swallow down the dryness of her throat as she spoke. "As it is an honor to meet you _,_ _Monsieur_."

He turned to face her father. "And your wife?"

"My wife and my sister will meet us at the dining room. They're just getting the house elves organized. Shall we head there now? Or would you like a look around the Black family heirlooms?"

"Most all of these are said to be from Salazar himself, as you well know," Orion said as he walked over to Regulus and fixed a loose curl on his head.

Abraxas chuckled. "Well yes, I would know. _Both_ of our families were closely tied with the Slytherin family." He took a look around the room and sighed, "Most of these are replicas or closely similar to what we have at home, actually, so I don't want to keep the women waiting. The dining room it is."

Lucius cleared his throat, "I would like to look at a few things, father."

Cygnus smiled and looked at Andromeda. "Why don't you and Andromeda take a look around? She can give you a complete tour of the estate."

Andromeda's tongue became sand paper. She can't be alone with him. Not yet.

Lucius looked at Cygnus with a grin. "I would be honored, if she would be willing, of course."

Suddenly, everyone's eyes snapped to Andromeda expectantly. She felt her cheeks blush and looked at her father, as if he would save her from this. But no, he was the one that pushed her into this. He was not her ally anymore.

"Yes, of course," she said while avoiding eye contact with Lucius. She could feel his eyes burning into her.

Abraxas clapped his bony fingers. "Well, that's brilliant. As for me, I could use a glass of cold green ale, if you have some, Cygnus."

"Of course I do, my friend. I'll show you the way. Girls, Regulus, Sirius, follow us," said Andromeda's father as he ushered everyone out of the drawing room. He turned to Lucius and Andromeda, "Take as much time as you need! The food will still be there when you're done."

And with that, he turned around and followed the rest of the family down the hallway towards the dining room. For the first time, she and Lucius were left completely alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**N/A: Hi everyone! Again, I'm so sorry this is so late. I am on break at the moment and I plan to spend the entirety of it writing! Thank you all for your kind words and tremendous support; it means so much to me.**

 **Please let me know what you think of this chapter! It's one of my favorites!**

 **xoxo, Karlee**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Royal and Most Honorable Malfoy Family**

Andromeda's heart beat was the only thing she could hear as the drawing room grew quiet.

Lucius Malfoy looked her up and down, like one would inspect a horse before buying it, and walked past her toward the shelves of heirlooms. He sighed and picked one of the photos up to look at. Andromeda let out a heavy breath, walked over to him and broke the silence.

"That's a photo of my sisters and I when we were young," she said as she looked over his shoulder at the picture.

"I could tell. Was this in your first year?"

"Yes, that was taken at King's Cross."

Lucius raised his eyebrows and put the photo back. "Do you remember when we met that day?"

Andromeda fell silent. For the life of her, she couldn't remember the first time she ever met Lucius.

But instead, she said: "Yes, I do actually."

Lucius smiled and looked at her. "You were always a terrible liar," he said as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You never liked me, not once."

"That's quite an assumption," she said shortly as she took a step back and walked down the shelves, pretending to busy herself with her family's artifacts.

"It's true though, isn't it? Ever since I took your seat on the train in our first year, you've disliked me."

Suddenly, Andromeda was back in King's Cross. She could remember seeing her new owl and books next to her and all of her friends sitting down in the cart. Where she was supposed to sit was a white haired boy that looked at her and insisted he wasn't going to move for a Black family member. Andromeda could remember the white haired boy muttering a hex under his breath and her eyebrows suddenly growing to a uni-brow. All of her friends in the cart laughed as she sobbed and found Bellatrix to put her brows back to normal.

"That was you? The boy on the train?" she asked, still trying to piece it together.

He snorted and turned to look at the family tapestry, "The one and only."

She tried to stay calm with every ounce of her will, but her blood was boiling. "Why…why would you do that?"

Lucius shrugged as he avoided her eyes. "I thought you were pretty. I fancied you and I have ever since."

This sudden confession stunned Andromeda. "Well if you fancied me so much, why would you bully me like you did?"

"I wasn't allowed to like you, and seeing you be so pretty upset me. My father told me not to associate myself with you, so I got angry. It was quite immature of me."

"So you think you've changed?" Andromeda said, staring at Lucius as it was now his turn to avoid her eyes.

"No. I _know_ I've changed," Lucius said as he brushed his hand over the family tapestry. "I've grown up to be my own man. My father and I's presence here proves that."

"You being at my house is proof that you've grown your independence?"

"Yes! Don't you see?" Lucius said as he turned to face her. "My family hates your family and your family hates mine. I fancied you, but my father would beat me every time I spoke of you when I was little. As I grew into a man, I became more persistent about you. I demanded he make amends with your father at work, and now here we are. It's all because of me that we're here."

All the while Lucius was speaking he inched closer and closer to Andromeda from across the room so that now they were only a few paces apart. His eyes were not moving from her face; he seemed to be trying to memorize every part of it.

"But you never tried to speak to me at school," Andromeda said. The shock of the moment subdued her voice to a mere whisper.

Lucius' face fell. "I did, but you never gave me the chance. I don't blame you, of course. I wouldn't want to talk to a person like me. But you have to understand, Andromeda, I have changed."

Andromeda looked at the boy she saw in front of her, and did notice a slight alteration in his appearance. He held himself higher and his eyes showed a light in them that she had never seen before. Perhaps he had changed and she just never gave him a proper chance to show it.

"I believe you," she said honestly. "I don't know if I should, but I do." Lucius stared at her, beaming, and she continued. "It's our last year of Hogwarts, Lucius. We will see a lot of each other in classes and whatnot, so it would be rather stupid of me to keep loathing you like this. I will give you a chance to prove yourself, as you seem so ready to, but only in friendship; I must be clear with you that I do not possess the same feelings toward you as you do to me."

"You don't yet at least," Lucius said with a smile.

"Do you understand?" She asked him, losing her patience.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I swear that I will not disappoint you. See," he said as he extended his arm towards Andromeda, "I'll even start by escorting you to dinner like a true pureblood gentleman."

Andromeda grinned and interlaced her arm with his. He was beaming as he guided her towards the dining room. He seemed so proud to have her positioned as to be associated with him. Andromeda could feel his arm underneath the red velvet suit. It was cold, but strong enough to balance her wavering feet. Her nerves were getting the best of her as she had never pictured an acquaintance being born with a boy she had sworn to loathe for all of eternity merely twenty minutes before this. Yet now, here she was, grasping onto his arm for dear life as her knees began to buckle with every step they took towards the dining room.

As they entered through the doors to where the rest of her family was starting on the first course, each eye darted to them and their interlocked arms. Andromeda could feel her cheeks burning and hoped Lucius wasn't able to feel her heart beating. Sirius and Regulus looked at each other and smiled at the sight of their favorite cousin with a boy, while Bellatrix rolled her eyes and went back to eating the roasted potatoes on her plate.

Cygnus was absolutely beaming at the two of them, and placed his glass of green ale down on the table before saying: "Perfect timing! We were just finishing up the first course. Go on and sit down so we can get started on the real food."

As much as she hated to admit it, Andromeda didn't want to let go of Lucius' arm as now her trembling hands and wobbly knees were on full display. She rushed to her seat next to Narcissa and knitted her fingers together underneath the table. Lucius took his seat next to his father directly across from her. He gave her a warm smile as Walburga, Andromeda's Aunt, cleared her throat.

"Abraxas, I was looking so forward to making the acquaintance of your wife. I have heard so many delightful things about her. Is she ill?"

"Unfortunately she was called to work tonight with the Ministry. Her work requires very uneven hours. One day she will not be called to work at all, and the next she will not be home for the entirety of daylight."

"I beg your pardon, Abraxas, I didn't know your wife worked," Walburga commented.

"Yes, as much as my parents were against it when we married, and as much as I tell her she does not need to, she works very hard at her job."

"In what department does she work?" Druella, Andromeda's mother, asked.

"She works within the Obliviator Headquarters, under the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. As you can assume, she's called to work very last-minute and with the upmost urgency. She sends her warmest regards and sincerest apology for not being able to be here tonight."

Druella smiled, "Oh there is no need for apology. Although it is rare for a woman of her status to work, I can only imagine how much skill she possesses and thus how much she is needed in that sort of department."

Orion sipped his dark blue wine and nodded, "Especially in the times we live in, what with these muggleborns making so many mistakes with the wands they don't even know how to use."

Abraxas chuckled, "You have no idea how much truth is in that statement, my friend. I pity the lot of them."

"Why pity them? It is their fault for assuming they are of equal magical ability as wizards like us."

Abraxas shook his head. "Not quite, my friend. Most of these mudblood children are terrified with their first exposure to the magical world. They've no idea what it contains and are ignorant of their own capabilities. They don't want to learn and certainly do not want a wand. It is that bloody school that sends them those letters and forces wands into their hands."

"More specifically it is the fault of that Dumbledore figure," Orion suggested.

"Oh, but of course. The minister himself has made comment on how unfit he is to be Headmaster. His acceptance and admittance of these muggleborns is uncanny and dangerous to the world we know."

"But we can't just expect to extinguish them all, can we? If they are going to have wands in their hands and play dress up within our world they must get a proper education so that they don't accidentally kill us all," Cygnus said while cutting the honey-glazed fish on his plate.

"I see your reasoning in that, and I am obliged to agree. However, I feel it necessary to cease all invitations to these mudblood children from the school in the first place. We must make our world great again."

"Is it not great now?" Druella asked.

"It is great because of the pureblood families who are still active in the highest departments of the ministry. If it weren't for the collaboration of my dearest Cygnus and I, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would have gone to the mudbloods by now."

"I agree with you on the matter of their integration in our school, Abraxas. My nieces have had to interact with these outsiders and learn at the same rate as them. Do you remember when muggleborn children and pureblood children had separated classes? That way pureblood children could learn at the accelerated rate that they so needed and the muggleborn children couldn't degrade the quality of their education," Walburga said.

"Oh yes, those were the days when that school still had sense to it. Now I'm afraid all of our children are at a terrible disadvantage with learning side by side with them," Abraxas said with a sigh.

Moments passed with silence as everyone took a break to eat what was in front of them. Andromeda found her appetite was diminished with the prior conversation. She was disgusted with the way these adults talked to each other, as if their blood status made them superior to everyone. Andromeda found that she actually liked some muggleborns at her school, and remembered the blonde haired girl at the top of the Ravenclaw house who had come from a muggle home. She was a genius, and was much better at potions than Andromeda. How could anyone be so prejudice over a student such as her just because of her blood line?

She hoped desperately that Sirius and Regulus had not listened to their parents, uncle, and aunt in the conversation they had just had. She hoped they had let all of their discriminatory slurs go over their precious heads, as they still had some purity left unaffected by their surroundings.

Polite small talk was the only conversation throughout the table as everyone finished their main course. Andromeda was the topic of conversation only a few times, thankfully, as she had been prevailed upon to discuss her academic achievement and her hopes with becoming Head Girl in the upcoming year.

The conversation had died down after the plates had been cleared and dessert was being prepared by the elves in the kitchen.

Abraxas turned to Andromeda and her sisters, "Do any one of you ladies play?"

Bellatrix, being the eldest, was expected to answer on their behalf. "I beg your pardon?"

"Play the piano, or any musical instrument for that matter. Music is my weakness, and ladies that possess such beauty as you three must also produce music of the same beauty. Am I wrong?"

"Unfortunately, _monsieur_ , none of my sisters nor I are well acquainted with the piano, or any musical instrument. We have been too focused on bettering our academics."

"And what do you plan on doing with these academics ? You have graduated have you not?"

"I have, and I am currently in conversation with Head Auror, Antonin Dolohov, about when I can start training."

Abraxas seemed lost. "Training? Training for what position?"

"Our Bellatrix wants to become an Auror," Cygnus said, smiling at his eldest daughter.

Abraxas silenced and looked at the cakes on his plate. He seemed to be in shock, but of what Andromeda couldn't figure out. All eyes were on him, for the moment, as everyone at the table seemed confused about what exactly stilled the man.

Orion cleared his throat, "Everything alright, Abraxas?"

The spidery man looked up, and saw every member of the Black family had focused entirely on him. He smiled, all of his long teeth protruding from his thin lips, and spoke. "You wish to become an Auror, Ms. Bellatrix?"

Bella, quite unsure of why the man was so enticed with this notion and unsure of what to say in response, simply nodded.

"But a woman cannot be an Auror, especially one of such high rank," Abraxas said simply as he took a sip of his green ale and started cutting at the cakes on his plate, as if what he had said had not troubled him in the slightest.

The color of Cygnus' face drained, and the lightness in his eyes darkened. His voice was cold as he said: "Bellatrix can pursue whatever she wants to pursue."

Abraxas looked up from his plate, and seemed stunned of Cygnus' sudden defense on the subject. Afraid of conflict, Andromeda kicked Lucius' foot lightly from under the table. He looked up at her, saw her eyes begging to defuse the situation, and he took the cue.

"Father, I know many women who want to become Aurors. With the times as they are, shouldn't they be able to take as many Aurors as possible? And Bellatrix was one of the best in our dueling club, as well as Andromeda and Narcissa, back in school."

Abraxas turned to his son, his eyes piercing into him as if they were ice, and looked around the table.

Cygnus continued off of Lucius. "Yes, the boy is quite right. I've spoken with Dolohov myself. He was the one who presented the idea to Bella in the first place."

Abraxas set down the silverware he had been squeezing in his bony hands and relaxed his shoulders.

"Forgive me. I am not used to the times changing. It was hard enough seeing my own wife work in the ministry, but to have a young lady work on the battlefield as an Auror? I have yet to hear of it. But I presume your performance must be stellar in order to have already spoken with the Head Auror himself, as he is quite a busy man. Has he spoken to you about any other prospects?"

"Abraxas, there is nothing more that the man has proposed to Bellatrix and we will keep it that way," Cygnus said coldly. Andromeda noticed a twitch at her father's moustache, and sensed there was something he was not telling the rest of his family.

"Oh but if she was such an extraordinary dueler, she must know. _They_ must want her." he said, looking at Bellatrix from over the table.

Cygnus slammed his wine glass onto the table. " _They_ will not be welcome near my daughters nor my nephews. And if you speak a word more on the subject, then you will not be welcome near them either."

Abraxas turned to Andromeda's father, unaffected by his words. "So you've heard of them too?"

Lucius grabbed his father's wrist, and squeezed it, "Father that's enough."

Lucius' father turned to face his son, and blinked his cold eyes for the first time since the conversation had started. He had seemed to exit a trance of some sort, as the grey in his complexion was replaced with its normal pearl- white colour.

Every eye at the table was glued to the spidery man, and he seemed to notice the tension he had created for the first time. He looked around the room and took the napkin at his place and patted the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

His voice came out in a raspy, diluted tone. "Forgive me, all of you. I have seemed to ruin the evening. The changing times of the modern day have been playing far too much on my old soul, as you may well have already concluded."

Cygnus took a sip of his wine and breathed a heavy sigh. His mustache had ceased in twitching and his eyes returned to the same warmth they contained before. "We forgive you, Abraxas. We will not cast judgement on a friend who lost his composure for a few minutes. There are much bigger problems to face and our friendship is too beneficial to sacrifice."

Abraxas smiled at Andromeda's father, "Thank you, dear friend. I am certain that your Bellatrix will exceed expectations in whichever aspect of her life she chooses to pursue."

Bellatrix could only produce a faint smile towards the man, as she was too stunned to produce anything more. Andromeda could see her hands shaking from underneath the table, and desperately wished to reach out and calm her sister. However, before she could, Narcissa had taken Bellatrix' hand already and squeezed it tenderly. Bellatrix calmed down immediately.

Cygnus looked at his daughters with a troubled face, and proceeded to look about the rest of the table. He maintained eye contact with his brother-in-law, Orion, last. They seemed to have communicated something through this, but of what Andromeda could not hypothesize. It was not long before the tense silence was interrupted by a clap of her father's hands.

"Well, I feel as if we have all gotten our fill for the night. Why don't the women and children retire to the rest of the house? Orion, Abraxas, would you do me the honor of proceeding to my office for a Phoenix cigar or two? They are imported from Russia, and I have yet to try them."

Orion and Abraxas both agreed. Abraxas seemed apprehensive after accepting the invitation, as if being alone in a room with the two Black family male heirs frightened him. As Lucius stood to exit the dining room with the rest of the Black family, Cygnus placed a sturdy hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"You, my friend, are no longer a child. Why don't you follow the men for the rest of the evening? We have some important matters to discuss and I would like for you to hear it."

Lucius looked at Andromeda's father, and seemed confused as to be either flattered by his invitation, or frightened as to what it may entail. Regardless, he smiled humbly and nodded. Cygnus then led the four of them away to his office.

Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Narcissa, Andromeda and her aunt and mother now stood by the ballroom, the shock of the evening still very heavily present in all of them.

Druella smoothed out her dress and addressed them all, "It is far past your bed times, children. Why don't we all get ready to have a long night's sleep?"

Sirius crossed his arms. "But why can't I go with father and Uncle Cyg? I'm a man!"

Regulus chimed in with him. "I'm a man too!"

Walburga glared at both of her sons. "Once you two learn to stay where you are told and not expect to be tailored to in every manner of your lives, you will finally mature into men. But for now, you have the mindset and behavior of boys, and thus the bedtime of a boy as well. Now run off."

Defeated, Sirius and Regulus led the Black sisters up the stairs, silenced by their disappointment. By the time they had all reached the top of the stairs and was out of earshot of her Aunt and Mother, Andromeda pulled them both aside.

"You two are the bravest men I've ever seen! And besides, do you really want to be stuck with three old farts smoking and talking about politics all night? Or would you rather read some of my old Quidditch magazines and go to sleep?"

The two of them beamed and waited for Andromeda to return with a stash of magazines that she was sure would keep the two of them occupied until they grew tired. She hugged them both and kissed their foreheads, and walked them to their rooms. She then rushed down the hallway to her own room. She closed the door behind her and looked around it. Yes: everything was just as she left it; the one corner of the world she still had complete control over.

Her rocking chair was just where she last left it, and her book at the corner of the armrest was still dog-eared at the page she was in the middle of reading. She sat down, feeling the familiar chair and opening her book, whispering " _Lumos"_ to turn on the lamp behind her. She was still in the gown her mother gave her and her hair was still pinned, but she didn't mind. All she wanted was some serenity in the only part of the house she felt comfortable in.

Just as she got settled, a slight knock was heard at her door. Itwas so slight, in fact, that she completely disregarded it as a figment of imagination. Then she heard it again, only louder. She sighed and walked over to her door, expecting to see her mother or her cousins.

When she saw the faces of her two sisters, however, she grew nervous. "Is everything all right?"

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "I'm going down to spy on the men and Narcissa caught me and wants to come along. Now she says that we should all three go. Are you coming or not?"

"Coming where?"

Bellatrix sighed. "I want to find out what Abraxas was talking about and I want to see what father says to him. Narcissa, on the other hand, just wants to be nosey."

Narcissa looked at her. "I want to know what he was talking about just as much as you do!"

Andromeda looked back at her room and the warm glow of her lamp. Her book was cracked open, begging to be read, but now curiosity gnawed at her: what did Abraxas mean and why had her father gotten so defensive?

She let out a breath and said, "I want to come."

"If we get caught I'm not taking the blame, so one of you better tell mum you forced me down there," Bella said as she turned around and led her two sisters.

Narcissa and Andromeda followed close behind the eldest, as they figured she had snuck around the house before. She was very good at being quiet, a skill that must have come with practice. She walked them down the stairs slowly, looking around the bottom level of the house for their mother and Aunt; they were nowhere to be seen.

The three sisters rushed down to their father's office and already heard voices booming from the door. They all put their ears very close to the door, but the sound was so muffled that they couldn't make anything out. Frustrated, Bellatrix tangled her fingers in her hair and pulled out her wand from the curls.

" _Sonorus_ " she muttered with her wand aimed at the door. Suddenly, the voices within the room became amplified, and every word could be easily distinguished.

"They are growing stronger by the minute, you know. It is not very wise to ignore their calls," said a voice that Andromeda assumed to be Abraxas.

"You don't think I know that? I work with half of them. Not a day goes by at the Ministry that someone doesn't pull me aside and tell me about what an amazing opportunity it is for my family." Andromeda knew this was her father, as she knew his voice like it was her own.

"How deep in are you, Abraxas? Have you got the mark?" Orion asked.

"Quite deep. They say I will be appointed to be his right-hand man once he comes to full power. I was one of the first to get the mark."

There was a moment of silence, as if Abraxas was showing the room something and both her father and uncle were too stunned to respond.

"Lucius is going to lead the younger ranks. He is going to be one of the first to be trained after he graduates. You see Cygnus, that is why I was so stunned to hear of your daughter becoming an Auror. You must know Dolohov has been turning the Auror headquarters into a training ground for _his_ ranks."

"Bloody hell, Dolohov joined them too?"

"I'm telling you, every pureblood family is with him. He wants to protect us, provide for us. Once this world is his, we will be rewarded. We will have anything we want. We will make this world great again."

"And what of the death toll?" Cygnus asked.

"I do not understand you."

"What of the masses of innocent people that will die because of this? This is not political uproar we are talking about, Abraxas. This will turn into a war."

"Well, my dearest friend, do you want to be on the winning side? Or do you want to be on theirs?"

"I would rather not involve myself at all. And I think I speak for my brother in law when I say we don't want any business of that sort involved in our name. It would tarnish the reputation that our ancestors have taken centuries to build upon."

There was a silence, as if someone was expected to speak, but didn't. Finally, Orion's voice broke the tension.

"Actually, Cygnus, what if Abraxas is right?"

"You can't be serious," Cygnus replied.

"I think this would be the best decision for our family. What would they say if one of the biggest and most honorable pureblood families _wasn't_ involved? We would be labelled traitors. Our reputation would be ruined both ways."

"Think of your children, Orion. Would you want Sirius and Regulus dead because of this?"

"They would die a most honorable death. We would mourn them, of course, but if they are true pureblood men, they would want to join."

"Exactly! I didn't have to convince Lucius. He begged me to join the ranks once he graduates," Abraxas said.

Cygnus spoke, "Is that true Lucius? You want to do this on your own free will?"

There was another moment of silence. Then, a voice that Andromeda assumed belonged to Lucius, spoke as if trying to sound stronger than he actually felt.

"Yes. It is my purpose to serve my family name in such a way."

"You see? The boy wants to do it. And soon your boys will want to join, Orion, and I would bet all I've got that your Bellatrix will want to join, Cygnus, as soon as she sees what fighting on the battlefield is truly like."

"I will let my girls make their own decisions. I cannot force their fate like this."

"Well if you hope to truly make an engagement between Lucius and Andromeda, I will have to insist on your alliance with the Dark Lord. We don't want to be associated with traitors."

Another moment of silence. This time, however, it was full of tension. Andromeda's heart started racing as if she was in the room herself. She had no idea what this was all about, but she could sense that it was something terrifying, and she had never been more proud of her father in her whole life. Perhaps he was still her ally after all.

"Are you giving me an ultimatum, Abraxas? May I remind you that my family is stronger in numbers, fortune, and power than yours? You will rue the day you associate my family with traitors. You do not want to make an enemy out of me, dear friend, I can swear that to you."

"Brother, cool your head. He is only trying to get you to see your priorities here."

"My priority will always be my family, Orion, which is something you need to learn."

"Perhaps we should all discuss this another time, when the heat of the fire is not affecting our judgement. And perhaps I will be able to bring my wife next time, so she can share her perspective of things. She will be able to show you more accurately than I can. Besides, with the seemingly perfect pairing of my Lucius and your Andromeda, I will assume we will be seeing more of each other outside the office, won't we Cygnus?"

Andromeda could hear her father breathing a heavy sigh as he answered, "Yes, yes you're right. You seem to make my daughter happy, Lucius, and my daughters' happiness is my sole purpose."

The three sisters could hear footsteps coming towards the door, and lost all other words of conversation as they rushed up the stairs, carefully shuffled their feet as they got to the landing, and listened as Cygnus and Orion showed Lucius and his father to the door.

"Yes, if anything we will all reunite at King's Cross in a little more than a week or so. I will see you on Monday, Abraxas. Don't forget to extract those files for Mrs. Knight, she was very persistent about it." Andromeda's father opened the door and ushered them outside.

"Of course. She is always persistent. I will see you at the office then, and to you Orion, at King's Cross. Give your family our warmest regards and appreciation for the dinner tonight."

"It was our pleasure. Good night then!" Cygnus said as they waved.

The door closed, and with a snapping sound, Lucius and Abraxas Malfoy had apparated away.

The sisters all looked at each other, and rushed to their bedroom doors.

Bellatrix was the first to speak, "No one is to know what we just heard tonight. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but what were they talking about? What's a Dark Lord?" Narcissa asked desperately.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out. Just keep your mouths shut, you two."

And with that, the three Black sisters all went into their separate rooms. Andromeda somehow managed to take off the suffocating dress without any help. As her head fell onto her pillow, she was prepared to start replaying the night's events, especially the conversation she had just overheard. However, she found her eyelids far too heavy to hold up, and slowly drifted into darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**N/A: Happy belated Thanksgiving! (To all of those that celebrate it) I am so extremely grateful for all of you and your amazing support. I have received some amazing and positive feedback and it honestly makes me so happy to know that you all are enjoying the story! I cannot wait to unfold everything and show you what is in store. Again, I am so sorry for my sporadic updates. I promise it is for good reason! Thank you all for being so great! Enjoy xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: King's Cross and Toad Boy**

Andromeda was woken with a sharp ringing coming from the bewitched clock in her room. The sun was not blinding her through her windows nor was there the usual morning bustle of her family members. Everything was still, and as she muttered the charm to cease the ringing of her clock, everything was silent too. For the life of her, Andromeda couldn't remember why she had set her clock to chime at this hour. Her eyes were still swollen with sleep and her blankets were so warm. Perhaps it was a mistake, and slowly she drifted back off to sleep.

Before her dreams could take a hold of her again, she awoke with a jolt as her owl appeared at her window for the first time all summer.

"Of course," she muttered to herself, "It's September 1st."

She tore her blankets off and ran to her window. She had missed her owl dearly, but she wasn't allowed to keep him inside the house; her mother didn't want to risk getting droppings everywhere. Instead, the family had its own owlery and the house elves tended to it. Today was one of the only rare occasions where she could bring him inside as she had to get him ready for her long day of travels.

She had picked him out after looking in the shop for only a few moments in her first year. He was a caramel coloured tawny owl named Bingley. He was very affectionate towards Andromeda as he nibbled at her fingers and nuzzled his face against the warmth of her cheek. They had been an inseparable duo since they met.

It had been a few weeks since the night the Malfoys had visited. Only the day after they came did Andromeda receive her supply list for the year. All of her new things were packed and ready at the corner of her room. Her mother insisted on buying new school robes as well, even though her old ones were perfectly fine.

"They were fine _before_ you were being courted," she had said. "But now, you are desired, so you will have to look desirable."

Lucius had sent Andromeda a letter almost every other day detailing generally along the lines of how nice it was to see her, how beautiful she looked, how terrible it was that he hadn't complimented her at the time, how lovely her family was and how excited he was to see her again. He also described how pleased he was that they would both get to work together as Head Boy and Head Girl.

Her mother implored on Andromeda to read every single letter to her even though they were all growing extremely repetitive. She was simply enthralled with the idea of the future engagement of Lucius and Andromeda. It seemed to be the only time that Andromeda could remember her mother taking this amount of pride in her. Her father, however, did not seem too happy about their budding relationship. Regardless of the fact that he was the one who had prompted it, he seemed to have regretted it completely. Andromeda knew it had something to do with what he had discussed with Lucius' father, but she still had no clue about what that conversation meant. Her sisters had kept silent about it, acting as if they never snuck downstairs to hear it in the first place. Although Andromeda was sure they were replaying the night in their minds just as much as she was, neither Bellatrix nor Narcissa spoke a word.

As she stood in her room stroking Bingley's feathers, Andromeda's father burst in the room.

He was absolutely beaming through the doorway. "Is this the room of the seventh year, almost graduate, Head Girl, stunning and brilliant Andromeda Black? I must see her at once!"

Andromeda laughed and placed Bingley on her nightstand. She rushed over to her father and wrapped her arms around him. He chuckled as he stroked her hair. He smelled like pine needles and peppermint, just as he always did, and was just as warm and comfortable as he always was. However, Andromeda noticed how thin he had become as she could feel the bones near his back protrude from the skin. She didn't know what was bothering her father so much, but she could tell it was slowly enveloping him.

As they released each other, he spoke. "Your last year. Bloody hell where did the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that we got Bingley and your first spell book?"

He walked over to her trunk, looking at all of her new things as if in a trance. Her heart plummeted as she saw the sad look on her father's face. It was as if it physically pained her to see her all grown up.

She walked over to him and placed a hand on his back. "You know I will never leave you, right?"

He looked at her, his eyes brimming with tears. "No, you will have to leave me one day, my dear. I just haven't prepared for it yet."

She shrugged, "I could just stay here for the rest of my life and take care of you and mum. Although, I think that mum will get even crankier as she gets older."

Her father laughed and kissed her forehead. "No, you will live the world and come back to tell me stories of your adventures." He breathed a heavy sigh and walked towards her door. "Now you get ready and I will go wake your sisters."

Andromeda smiled. "Be careful, they might bite."

She could hear her father's laugh as the door closed behind him. She looked around the room and saw the book she had stopped reading last night in the same place she had left it. She could see the sun beginning to rise through her window. Bingley stared at her expectantly, as if there was something she had to do.

She gasped. "Oh right! I have to get ready!"

By the time she had finished dressing, making Bingley comfortable in his cage and finishing up her packing, her mother had already started yelling at her from the bottom of the staircase.

"GIRLS! It is time to leave! Right NOW!"

With a flick of her wand, Andromeda had everything locked and secure. She opened her door and, as she had expected, found four house elves ready to help put her luggage downstairs.

She looked down at them, "You know it is a lot to carry this year. Would you rather me enchant my trunk to go downstairs on its own?"

The house elves looked at each other, stunned that their mistress would offer to help in any way. They were so stunned, however, that they didn't know how to respond.

"It is their _job_ to serve us, Andromeda," her mother said gravely from the other end of the hallway. "You should know by now that you are not to talk to them unless you need them to do something. What has gotten into you?"

Andromeda had not noticed her mother so close, or else she wouldn't have said anything to the creatures at her feet. She ignored her mother's glare and scurried back into her room to grab Bingley in his cage and her bag. The rest she left for the elves. As she closed her door, she took one last look at her corner of the world. Slowly, she let the door lock. It will only be a few short months until she can return to it during Christmas break. Andromeda's mother was busy yelling at Narcissa's house elves while Andromeda scampered downstairs. She found her trunks and bags neatly stacked in front of the house doors.

Eventually, Narcissa came down with her cat in hand and her elves close behind. She had more things for those poor souls to carry on their small backs than last year. Andromeda could swear she heard one of them whimpering as they finally made it down the stairs.

Druella had followed close behind them with Bellatrix lingering a sleepy daze.

As they all met at the door way, her mother insisted on checking every one of them for flaw or error. She smoothed out Narcissa's shirt, pulled at her hair, and pinched her cheeks to make them rosy. She yanked at Bellatrix' curls, wiped some crumbs from breakfast off of her lips, and fixed her collar. Finally, when she had gotten to Andromeda, she looked her up and down slowly.

She sighed. "Andromeda, do you even try?"

Andromeda looked down at her clothing, expecting to find some sort of heinous error, and found nothing but the suitable outfit she put on that morning.

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you look ridiculous! Honestly, Andromeda, you will be seeing all of the Malfoys today. You will be close with Lucius as I suspect he will insist on sitting with you the whole ride there. What on earth are you thinking with putting on an outfit like that?"

Her father suddenly appeared from the hallway to his office, "What is this I hear? No daughter of mine should strive to impress a boy; rather they should try to impress her."

Druella was silenced at this. Andromeda smiled gratefully at her father as he took Narcissa and Andromeda's trunks in his hands.

"Now are we off my dears?" he asked as he offered his arm to Druella. She let out a sharp breath and intertwined her arm with his.

They all filed out of the house with their things sharply grasped in each hand. Bellatrix was the only one who had nothing to bring and thus nothing to hold. She seemed rather grumpy to be up this morning, as if saying goodbye to her sisters for a large amount of time didn't faze her in the slightest. Andromeda could understand; she would also much rather be in her room still fast asleep.

They came to a stop a couple of paces from the entrance of the manor.

Cygnus spoke, "Now each one of you grab on to me. You know how this goes, my lovelies. Take hold of your things very very tightly, now. We don't want anything getting left behind."

Andromeda took hold of her father's arm and tightened the strap of her bag. As she gripped Bingley's cage, he hooted angrily as if this part of the trip was his least favorite. She looked at him with a regretful look as he ruffled his feathers and covered his eyes with his wings.

"Are we all tightly secured?" Andromeda's father asked. Everyone nodded. "Good! Off we-"

Her father's words were cut short with a snapping sound and the blast of wind that shook the entire family. They were spiraling upward. Everything was a blur as they traveled through the air. The only thing Andromeda could do was strengthen her grip on her father and the cage. Just as Andromeda was beginning to feel nauseous, the spinning stopped and her feet found a firm ground.

The sound of the train was the first thing to cut through her senses. As Andromeda looked around, she found that they had made it to King's Cross, right in the middle of platform 9 and ¾. Around her were families all loading their things onto the train, kissing loved ones, and saying goodbyes. Andromeda had always been mesmerized by this; it was an orderly chaos of excitement and sorrow. Though no one wanted to leave their families, they also couldn't wait to return to the halls and rooms of Hogwarts.

Andromeda and Narcissa started scanning the crowds for their friends, but to no avail. The sea of children and parents did not show any signs of familiarity.

Cygnus spoke in a loud voice, making sure not to be drowned out in the sounds of the masses.

"Right, well I think we arrived a little earlier than normal. Either that or we arrived drastically late. I cannot seem to find Orion or Walburga and they swore to meet us at this exact spot."

Druella rolled her eyes, "Are you surprised? They always manage to come late."

"It is their boy's first year to Hogwarts, my love. Regardless of how prepared one's self tries to be, the first year is always the hardest to arrive punctually"

Bellatrix looked around as well, but for what Andromeda did not know. As far as she knew, her sister had no more friends to attend to here.

Bellatrix spoke with an annoyed tone, "Well their lateness, whether excusable or not, shouldn't influence us. Let's start loading everything on."

With that, Bellatrix grabbed Andromeda's trunk from her father's hands and walked over to the loading dock. Stunned at her sister's persistence, Andromeda slowly followed her with Narcissa tailing behind. They walked down the train towards the Slytherin carts at the end and stepped inside.

The chaos from outside the train could not amount to the disorder within it. From every corner there were children yelling with excitement or forcing large bags into the aisle with little success. Friends squealed as they reunited and owls hooted as their cages began to be bumped around.

Andromeda looked down the aisle in an attempt to find her best friend Nina Zabini. She was a beautiful girl, often remarked as the most beautiful in the Slytherin house. They had been inseparable friends since first year, and yet she couldn't find her in their usual spot.

"Move! Some of us are trying to get on the train!" yelled a voice from behind her ear.

Andromeda sighed and moved forward down the carts, desperately looking for one of her friends amongst the sea of green and silver scarves and hats. Finally, at the very end of the train, she found a cart with not only Nina inside of it, but with Clarette Flint of whom Andromeda was also extremely fond of.

The two girls had not changed since the past year. Nina was just as beautiful as ever. She had a deep ebony skin that seemed to glisten like smooth porcelain in the light. Her dark eyes stood huge and almond-shaped against her thin and appealing face. Her hair was braided back, letting the structure of her face and thick eyelashes show. Clarette also stood out in a crowd. Her full head of honey coloured hair was still cut in the same evenly cut bob that Andromeda had seen it as last year. Her freckles stood out against her pale complexion and ocean-blue eyes. Even with her short height, she managed to be one of the best beaters on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Andromeda turned around to tell Narcissa that she was welcome to sit with them, but she couldn't find her sister anywhere; she had gotten lost in the crowds.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Nina said as she hugged Andromeda tightly.

Andromeda returned the embrace. "I know. I was so worried when I didn't see you."

"We made plenty of room for you, don't worry," Clarette said as she took hold of Andromeda's bag and cage and loaded them atop the cart for her.

"Have you seen anyone else?" Andromeda asked as she walked inside and unzipped her jumper.

"No, not really. You know how it usually is. You can't find anyone with all these people," Nina said as she straightened up her things.

"Why? Are you looking for anyone in particular? Perhaps a certain Malfoy?" Clarette said suggestively as her and Nina exchanged a smile.

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "How on Earth could you have heard? It has only been two weeks!"

"Well you haven't written us all summer and news like this doesn't exactly get published in the prophet, now does it? We had to do an appropriate amount of snooping," Nina said with a smile.

Bellatrix poked her head through the entrance, "Andy, we need to go help Sirius. Wait. Let me rephrase that: father is _forcing_ us to go help Sirius."

And with that, Andromeda promised a quick return to her friends so that they can get the full story about Lucius, and followed quickly behind Bellatrix out of the train.

Amongst the crowd, Andromeda could spot a mop of black curls and a pair of excited brown eyes that could only belong to her favorite cousin. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly. When they released, he seemed to be jumping at the balls of his feet.

"I think I have everything I need! I got everything last week and my robes should be tailored perfectly. Or at least I hope they will. Andy, what if I forgot something?" Sirius asked, his words coming out too fast for his tongue to keep up with.

Andromeda laughed, "Sirius you will be fine! If you forget anything, I can pick you up something at Hogsmeade or you can send a letter home. Now let's go get your things on the train."

She grabbed him by the shoulder and ushered him forward. It seemed that her Uncle Orion had already loaded his trunk on the dock as he only had a very angry-looking owl and a small bag at his side. As she walked him toward the train, they stopped.

"Do you want to sit at the front of the train or at the back?" she asked him with a smile.

This question seemed so drastically vital that he couldn't decide.

"The sweet cart comes to the front of the train first so you will be able to have first pick. And the carts there are cushioned. In the back is where most of the Slytherin house sit."

Sirius only seemed to have paid attention to the part of Andromeda's explanation that contained the sweet cart, as he had made his mind up at that time.

"The front sounds good! Do you think there will be enough room?" Sirius asked as the started walking towards that direction.

"Of course there will be; the first train ride is where you will make your bestest friends."

As they walked onto the train, Andromeda noticed the extreme difference of atmosphere that was presented. At the back of the train, there was an air of superiority, as if everyone who chose that section was drawn to it by a certain unalienable right that separated them from the rest. At the front, however, there were so many first years running around that Andromeda and Sirius had to maneuver their way down the aisle. There was no structured uniformity like there was at the back of the train, and nobody seemed bothered that Sirius was taking a long time to walk down the rows of carts, looking for an empty spot.

Exasperated, he looked up at his cousin, "There is absolutely no room!"

She straightened a curl at his head and smiled. "Of course there is, we just need to keep looking."

Finally, at the very head of the train, Andromeda caught sight of a cart claimed only by one boy. He had dark, unruly hair that seemed to stick up at the back. He seemed to be reading a Quidditch magazine as his eyes darted from each page behind his round glasses.

Andromeda knelt down to Sirius and pointed at the boy, "He seems nice. And look at how much room he's got! Why don't we try him?"

"Do you think he's a pureblood?" Sirius whispered, a look of concern in his eyes.

Andromeda's heart dropped to her stomach. She turned Sirius around to face her and stooped to his eye level, her expression grave, "Sirius, I want you to learn something right now. Are you paying attention?"

He nodded, a look of fear splashing across his face. He was unsure of what he had said to make his cousin so alarmed.

"The way our family works is," she struggled for words, " _unlike_ those of other wizarding families. Other families do not mind what another wizard's bloodline is. Other families do not banish one another for a mistake they made. Other families make friends with whoever they want, and forgive each other. Now look at that boy," she ordered. Sirius looked at the boy in the cart as she continued. "If I told you that that boy is the nicest, funniest, and most loyal friend to you, and that you two would become best mates, would you care if he had blue eyes?"

Sirius looked back at his cousin, confused, "Of course not."

"Exactly! You wouldn't sacrifice a good friend because of something he cannot change, would you?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Then you shouldn't care if he were a muggleborn or half-blood, because he cannot change or help that either. All you should care about is what is in his heart and if he treats you like a good friend. Do you understand?"

Sirius nodded.

"But won't mum and dad be disappointed if I were friends with a muggleborn?"

Andromeda shrugged, "Not if you don't tell them."

Sirius laughed and sighed, as if he was relieved that his selection of friends just grew immensely. He turned around and prepared to walk into the cart. However, he stopped right at the entrance way, his nerves seeming to freeze him on the spot.

Andromeda smiled as she knocked at the wall and the boy looked up from his reading.

"Everyone else is full. Do you mind if my cousin joins you?" she asked him.

The boy cracked a wide smile and patted the seat across from him, "Not at all!"

Sirius smiled too, and handed his cage to Andromeda as he jumped on the cushions. Andromeda loaded his cage securely into the cart as she overheard the boys' conversation.

"The name's James. James Potter. I'm a first year if you couldn't already tell," the boy with the glasses said.

"I'm Sirius. Sirius Black. I'm a first year too, but I know I'm going to make it on the Slytherin Quidditch team even if I am one!"

"Well I come from a family of Gryffindors, so I hope the sorting hat will put me there. I've already started training for try outs."

"Me too! What position do you want?"

"Father said I was born to be a seeker, but I don't really mind. Anywhere they can put me would be fine with me."

As Andromeda finished with the cage, she turned to Sirius, "Have you finished saying goodbye to everyone, Sirius? The train is about to leave."

Sirius looked at his new friend and sighed, "I'll be right back! I've got a ton of Quidditch magazines we can look at!"

James nodded excitedly as Sirius darted behind Andromeda. In the isle, there was a girl with fiery red hair and a boy with a black, oily mop of locks on his head that were both messing with a cage on the floor. They had taken so long at it that they began to block the way down the train. Andromeda walked up to the two and found that the cage had broken and they had both been fussing to fix it.

Andromeda stooped down and looked at the two of them, "Do you two need any help?"

The girl and boy looked up at her frantically. The girl spoke first, "Yes, please. I just bought this cage yesterday and my owl loves it and now it's broken! I dropped it on the way in."

Andromeda took out her wand from her stocking and pointed it at the dented and snapped metal. " _Reparo_ " she muttered as the cage snapped right back to normal.

The girl, mesmerized at the magic, looked up at Andromeda. "Thank you, Miss! That was amazing!"

Sirius laughed, "What, you've never seen some simple magic before?"

The girl's eyes fell. "No, my family isn't magic."

Sirius looked stunned, as if meeting a muggleborn in the flesh for the first time scared him.

Andromeda looked at the girl. "You'll learn that spell in your first month of charms. If you need anything else, I'm your head girl so you can come straight to me, Miss-"

"Evans," the girl said. "Lily Evans. And this is Severus," she said as she pointed to the greasy looking boy next to her. "Severus Snape."

Andromeda had heard stories of the Snape family. They were just as highly remarked in status as her own family, but full of dark wizards. She looked at the boy hesitantly, but swallowed her pride. She smiled at them both.

"I'm Andromeda and this is Sirius," she said politely while laying a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Come find me if you two need anything else."

And with that, Andromeda walked onward as the girl promised she would come to her at the first sight of a problem.

Andromeda spoke lowly at Sirius as they bumped through the crowds of people in the hallway.

"See, Sirius? She was a muggleborns and quite nice."

"Yeah, but she didn't even know like the simplest spell you can get. And her friend, did you see him? He looked like he had just swum in a bucket of mud. And did you hear his last name? He's a Snape. Mum always cursed the Snape family."

Andromeda rolled her eyes and made room for a first year with an abnormally large owl. As she and Sirius stepped off of the train to start searching for their families, a slimy toad the size of a tennis ball jumped onto Andromeda's shoulder, startling her completely. Sirius immediately burst into laughter.

"Lucille! That's not very nice!" said the owner as he rushed to grab the toad from her shoulder.

Disgusted, Andromeda turned to face the boy. He was extremely tall, towering over the rest of the crowd, and had light brown eyes with sand blonde hair. His face, Andromeda noticed, was well structured, as well as the rest of his body. His ears poked out of his face and he seemed to have a small scar at the edge of his upper lip, but those were the only imperfections Andromeda could find.

"I'm so sorry, Miss. She's just real excited for today is all," the boy said nervously as he stroked the toad.

Andromeda, still shocked at the assault, could only smile at him. She started to turn away, but before she could, he outreached the hand that had previously held the toad to her.

"I'm Edward Tonks. You've been in a few of my classes, but I don't think you've noticed have you?" he said with a hint of embarrassment.

She looked him up and down, rather stunned with his bizarre mannerisms. She took his hand and shook it firmly.

"I'm Andromeda," she said shortly as Sirius elbowed her in the hip. She looked down at him, "And this is my cousin Sirius."

Edward stooped down, smiling, and reached out the same hand toward Sirius, "Nice to meet you! Your first year?"

Sirius shook his hand, "Yeah. I heard you're on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. You're a chaser, right?"

Edward looked up at Andromeda and back down at Sirius, beaming. "You've done your studying, haven't you? I've been a chaser since my first year. Everybody was quite shocked, what with me having muggle parents and all. But hey, it really doesn't matter, as long as you're steady on your broom. I'll be captain this year."

Sirius looked up at him in awe, "Really? A captain? Wow that's-"

Andromeda cut him off with a firm voice, "I'm sorry to interrupt but we really do need to go say goodbye to our families. Perhaps you two will find each other and discuss this later. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Tonks."

Andromeda sharply turned away and started walking in the opposite direction. He called out to her, "You can call me Ted, Miss! No need for formalities!"

As if she hadn't heard a thing, she continued walking, tugging Sirius closely behind her. She scanned the crowd of dispersing families for her own, and found them standing in a corner. As she walked up to them, Sirius looked at her.

"Why were you so mean to that boy?"

"When a giant toad lands on your shoulder and the owner doesn't seem to regret it at all, you let me know how you feel."

"He couldn't control it! It was an accident," Sirius said. After a moment, he smiled and looked at her again, "I think you were mean to him because he's handsome."

Astonished, Andromeda looked down at her cousin, "That's ridiculous Sirius. I just don't like disgusting amphibian jumping on me."

"Well if you don't like disgusting amphibian, then how could you like Lucius?" Sirius said with a smile.

Andromeda tried to suppress her laugh as she joined her family. Her mother, father and Bellatrix had joined with Aunt Walburga, Uncle Orion, Regulus, Abraxas Malfoy and a mousey woman she assumed to be Mrs. Malfoy. Her father and Uncle were beaming at the sight of them as they rushed over. Abraxas smiled at her and reached out to take her hand and politely kiss the top of it.

"May I introduce my wife, Ophelia Malfoy?" he said, gesturing to the small, brown haired woman to his side. She looked as if she had smelled something unpleasant. For a moment, Andromeda thought she had, but then realized that her face seemed formed that way.

She looked at Andromeda up and down, like her mother would when scanning for imperfections, and seemed satisfied enough to smile at her.

"So this is the one my son talks about so often," she said shortly.

"Mother, try not to embarrass me the moment I walk away," said Lucius' voice from behind the group.

Andromeda turned to see him as he walked over to the family. He stood very close to Andromeda, which his mother seemed to notice as her eyes grew cold.

"Well would you rather me lie to her, dear?" she said firmly.

Walburga turned to Sirius. "Do you have everything you need? Did you find a spot on the train?"

"Yes ma'm," Sirius said proudly.

"Sirius if you find yourself packed in that cart, you are welcome to sit with my friends and I down on the far side of the train. I can introduce them to you," Lucius said.

Andromeda could swear she saw her father's moustache twitch slightly in response to the offer.

Sirius nodded his head. His mother smiled, "What an exemplary offer, Sirius. You would be wise to take him up on it."

The sound drained out as the train blew its warning whistle. The train would be departing in ten minutes. Narcissa appeared from the crowd, cheeks flushed with excitement.

Bellatrix turned to her parents, her tone fierce. "Mum, Dad, I need to speak with Cissy and Andy for a minute. It's a … err…sister thing."

Suddenly, and with an extreme force, Bellatrix grabbed her two sisters and pulled them into a vacant corner.

"Ow, Bella, that hurt!" Narcissa said as she massaged her arm.

"I don't care, Cissy," she said as she looked around for eavesdroppers. "Look, there's something big going on. There's a movement happening. Rodolphus and I have been trying to learn as much as we can, but there's only so much that people will tell us. I think that once I start training with Dolohov I will learn a lot more. Things are going to start getting…tense… at Hogwarts. Things are going to get dangerous. You can only trust a certain few people."

"But why?" Andromeda asked.

"There's a dark wizard, extremely dark, that is collecting people to support him. It's nothing to be scared of for us because they _want_ us. I don't really know much about it but I need to know whatever you know. If you hear anything suspicious, write me right away. Do you understand?"

Narcissa and Andromeda nodded.

"Good. Now I don't want you to agree to do anything or work for anybody without talking to me first."

Andromeda knitted her eyebrows, "But what do you know?"

Bellatrix shook her head, "I can't tell you. Trust me, though, it's not much; just enough to make me curious."

"So we're just supposed to tell you everything while we don't know anything ourselves?" Narcissa asked.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. If I find out anything I'll tell you. I have a feeling you'll know everything that's going on faster than I will. Especially you, Andy. Lucius and his family are said to know a lot about what's going on. And remember when they all spoke that night? I think it has something to do with that I'm talking about. Tell me if he lets anything slip."

Andromeda nodded. Her heart thudded against her chest as her curiosity settled in. This was the first time they had all three spoken about that night they had eavesdropped on their father.

Bellatrix nodded at them, "Now please be careful, okay? I need you two to be safe. I know I don't say this much but," she struggled for the words, "I do care about you both."

Narcissa wrapped her sister in her arms, squeezing her tightly. Andromeda grinned at the sight of them. This was the first time since she could remember her sisters showing this sort of affection. As they released each other, Andromeda simply took Bellatrix' hand and squeezed it. Together, they walked back to their family.

"Alright, enough sister talk, I need a daughter hug," Cygnus said as he grabbed Narcissa and Andromeda. They could both feel Walburga patting their heads affectionately.

As the two sisters were released, their uncle and aunt kissed their foreheads. Andromeda knelt down to face Regulus, her face beaming.

"You know, Reg, this will be you before you know it."

"I wish it was me now," he said grumpily.

"I'll send you letters! And I'll remind Sirius to send you a bunch too," she said while poking his nose.

He smiled, "You promise?"

Andromeda crossed an x against her chest. "Cross my heart."

Regulus threw his arms around Andromeda as the train blew its whistle for the five minute warning.

Andromeda bowed politely to the Malfoys as she looked at her parents.

Cygnus smiled warmly, "Off you go, you three. Be safe and don't get distracted from your studies!"

And with that, Andromeda and Narcissa sped off onto the far side of the train, while Sirius rushed to the front. Andromeda made her way down the aisle down to the familiar cart with Nina and Clarette in it. Lucius and Narcissa went into their separate carts. Some students rushed to the left side of the train, sticking their hands out and waving their last goodbye to their families. Andromeda's mother had made it perfectly clear that she never wished any of her children to wave goodbye to her in such a way as she saw it as a "display of classless behavior." Andromeda just thought it was a pleasant farewell.

By the time she had reached her friends, the train jerked and started moving. She walked into the cart and saw both of the girls already immersed in conversation.

"I heard he has wanted to take a girl for a while now. Do you think I should talk to him?" Clarette said excitedly.

Andromeda moved her things and sat down on the bench. "Talk to who?"

"Avery. He sent me a letter this summer saying that he was excited to see me. What do you think that means?"

"That he's excited to see you?" Andromeda said.

The other two girls smiled and rolled their eyes. "You are completely dense when it comes to boys, do you know that?" Nina said.

"I just don't like Avery is all."

"Well he's close mates with Malfoy, so you better get used to him," Nina said.

Clarette's eyes glowed with excitement, "Oh that's right! You promised to tell us about him! Don't leave anything out."

And with an exasperated sigh, Andromeda began the lengthy story of her growing relationship with Lucius. Though the three girls had been separated for months, it felt as though they had just parted ways yesterday. Things went right back to the way they had been for the past seven years. The girls absorbed themselves into laughs and smiles as the train sped towards the one place in the world where Andromeda felt completely safe and secure. She was so overcome with joy and excitement at the current moment that she had entirely forgotten the boy with the toad.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Sorting**

Andromeda, Clarette and Nina were still completely immersed in conversation by the time the sky darkened and the train was reaching its destination. It was strange to Andromeda to know that this was going to be her last year travelling on the train, eating licorice wands from the sweet cart and seeing the glow of Hogwarts from the train's windows.

"I just think you two make sense, you know? It's like a merperson and water; it makes sense together!" Clarette said with sparkling eyes.

For the duration of their travels, it seemed as if Andromeda's friends were more excited about her and Lucius' engagement than she was. By the time Andromeda had returned from the Prefect cart and had finished addressing all of the new Prefects on their responsibilities and obligations, her friends had begun a new list of questions to interrogate her with. They seemed to have run out, however, as Andromeda smiled.

"I guess we will have to see, won't we?" Andromeda said as she stood to get her school robes out of her bag.

"He has gotten much handsomer, and his head has shrunk a bit. I've had to be around him what with us being on the same Quidditch team and all. He used to whine about practicing all the time, but now he seems to enjoy it," Clarette said.

Nina looked at Clarette, "Which one of you will be Captain this year? Both of you are seventh years."

Clarette looked down at her hands. "I've no idea. Our captain last year said that he would leave it up to our team to vote, and whoever has the most votes gets to be captain. We are meeting this week to have it all settled out."

"Are we allowed to vote?" Andromeda asked as she was buttoning her blouse.

Clarette snorted. "Of course not, it has to be just the team."

With that, the girls began to ready themselves for the night. They made sure each other's robes were perfectly aligned and had no wrinkles. As the train began to slow, a warm glow shined through the cart. Andromeda leapt over to peer through the window. Outside of the train was the grandest sight she had ever seen, a sight that welcomed her.

Hogwarts stood over the dark lake, its windows sparkling with freshly lit fires. Its glow radiated off of the black of the night. Andromeda could see the trails of merpeople from underneath the lake and could swear she saw a tentacle or two raise up from the water. She could see the great hall from where she sat, its ceiling of candles beckoning her with their familiar warmth. She tried to see every single detail that she possibly could, as this was to be one of the last times she would see the place in this grandeur. As the train turned a corner and slowed to a stop, she lost sight of the castle and broke from the window of the cart.

She smiled at her friends, their faces blushed with excitement. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, however, a mop of black curls burst through their cart.

"Andy, I can't do it!" Sirius' panicked voice said from the entrance of the door.

Clarette and Nina giggled at the sight of the boy, but silenced as Andromeda glared at them.

She softened as she walked over to Sirius and placed a loose curl behind his ear, "Do what?"

"James says that Gryffindor is the best house in the world and that he says I might be sorted into it! I told him that's nonsense because I'm from the Black family but he insists! What if I'm not placed into Slytherin after all? What if I get banished?"

Tears began to build at the rim of Sirius' eyes as he stared up at his cousin. Andromeda's heart broke at the sight of it. She resented her Aunt and Uncle for placing so much pressure on him. All he wants to do is please his family. How could they be so cruel?

Andromeda sighed and took Sirius' hands. "I was nervous for my sorting too, Sirius."

To her surprise, Nina spoke. "So was I! I wanted to be in Ravenclaw."

Clarette piped in, "I thought I wasn't going to fit in anywhere and they would have to kick me out."

She smiled at her friends and turned to Sirius, "Do you see? Everyone is nervous during their sorting. If you get to be in Gryffindor, then you already have a best friend waiting for you. If you get to be in Slytherin, then you will make friends. Making friends has never been a problem for you. And plus, even if you are placed in Slytherin, I am sure James will still be friends with you. He seems like a nice boy."

"But what about mum and dad?" he asked, breathing heavily.

Andromeda looked at their intertwined hands, unsure of what to say. She would love to tell Sirius that his parents wouldn't be disappointed in him if he's not placed in Slytherin; she would love to tell him that they love him for more than his Hogwarts house. However, she knew that this wasn't the case. Sirius parents were abnormally cruel in their way. She knew for a fact that Sirius would be tormented and marginalized by them if he were sorted any place other than Slytherin, but especially Gryffindor.

She looked up at him, desperately conjuring up the right words. "Your mum and dad love you, Sirius. They care for you, but they show it in a peculiar way. You will be their son no matter what happens."

The color in Sirius' face came back as a sense of relief washed over him. Somehow, Andromeda seemed to have chosen the right words.

Andromeda could hear the muffled cries of the Hagrid the gamekeeper beckoning all of the first years off of the bus.

"Firs' years straigh' ahead! Yer don't want ter fall behind now!"

She looked down at Sirius, "Go! Find your friend! I'll be right behind you."

He nodded and frantically ran off. She peered out the window to find that he had met with the massive group of first years and collected her things.

As she was getting Bingley's cage, a hand appeared and took it from her.

"I've got it, Andy. What kind of gentlemen would I be if I didn't help you with your things?" Lucius said as he tucked some of her books and bag under his arms.

She smiled and could feel her face blush. It was more of embarrassment that led to the red color on her cheeks, not flattery. However, she could tell her friends took it for the latter as they giggled at the sight of the couple. She rolled her eyes at them as he fixed his grip on her belongings.

"I'll go drop these off and meet you at the gates. Don't forget that you and I have to lead the seventh years together as head boy and girl," he said with a smile as he walked through the door.

She looked back at Clarette and Nina who were simply beaming at their corners of the cart. Andromeda tried to suppress her grin as she took her jumper in her hands.

"Well come on then, we don't want to be stuck on the train," she said as she walked out the cart.

The three girls all filed out of the train and onto the platform. They placed their things in the seventh year pile and walked over to the rest of their friends that were fixed in front of the gates that were guarding the trail that led up to the castle. All of them were waiting to be addressed on what to do. They were all buzzing with excitement, but were far more manageable than the younger students.

Lucius made his way back to Andromeda and appeared by her shoulder, a large grin spread on his face.

"You remember what to tell them?" he asked.

"Yes: that we will be leading them through the forest trail and up to the castle," she responded.

The two made their way through the crowd and found their place at the front of it.

"Alright, everyone! Quiet down!" Andromeda said loudly to her classmates.

Surprisingly, all of the students' conversations ceased immediately. They all looked towards the two, and Andromeda could swear she saw some of Lucius' friends snickering at the sight of them together.

"I would like to start the year by welcoming you all. This is our last year, so we have to make it last, right?"

A loud cheer came from the class. They quieted down.

"Right, well, Lucius and I will be your Head Girl and Boy this year. Therefore, should there be something distressing you in any way, you can come to us."

Lucius cleared his throat, "But don't annoy us. We have stuff to do."

Avery, Lucius' best friend, raised his voice from the crowd. "Oh we know that you two have a lot of _stuff_ to do together."

Everyone erupted into laughter, some high fiving Avery. A large lump formed in Andromeda's throat as she could feel her face burning. To her horror, she saw Lucius smiling at her side.

He tried to suppress his laughter as he addressed the group, "Everyone, everyone, please. We will be taking a trail up to the castle this year. Just follow close behind and don't fall back. You all should know by now that the Forbidden Forest got its name for a reason."

And with that, the group of seventh years began their trip through the forest with hovering lanterns to guide them and shine on their path. Lucius and Andromeda were at the head, neither one speaking to the other for fear of getting teased again. The path was easy to follow and the group was undisturbed by the creatures that dwelled in the trees. The path had been carved for years, and it has been a seventh years' rite of passage to walk it on their way to the castle ever since. Just as fifth years travel in carriages pulled by Thestrals and first years ride boats, the Seventh Years take short cuts and loop around hills to make their way to Hogwarts.

By the time that the group had made it to the opening doors, they were all out of breath. The only thing that kept them buzzing was the adrenaline of excitement that awaited them. By the doors stood a very stern looking Professor McGonagall, reading off of her list of the night's proceedings and checking them off occasionally. She had not changed since Andromeda had started school. Her caramel colored hair was still tied in the same tight-fitted bun it was always in. She wore a mahogany colored cloak and hat that complimented her eyes. Her golden spectacles balanced at the tip of her thin nose.

Her eyes darted upward to see the group of seventh years assemble before her. They were the first group of the night to make their way to the castle. She saw the faces of Andromeda and Lucius at the lead and grinned at them.

"Were there any troubles with the pathway?" she asked the two of them.

Both of them shook their heads.

McGonagall nodded curtly. "Good. Were there any disruptions at all?"

Lucius and Andromeda looked at each other hesitantly. Andromeda cleared her throat, "None at all, Professor."

McGonagall slashed a line on her list with her quill and moved to stand in front of the group. All of them hushed at the sight of her.

She addressed them. "As predicted, you all are the first to make it to the castle, as Seventh Years always are. I would like to be the first to tell you how very important this year is not only to your academics, but to your future careers. No matter what your plans are after your final year, you must stay focused throughout the duration of your dwindling days here, and you must work hard. There is no time left to fool around anymore. Am I understood?"

There was a murmuring of agreement that came from the crowd.

McGonagall turned to face Lucius and Andromeda. "Lead them into the Great Hall and have them seated at the very back of the tables. We need room for the rest of the students."

With that, Andromeda and Lucius lead the seventh years through the castle and into the Great Hall. It was already decorated for the evening. The hundreds of floating candles were fixed where they always were. Shining golden streamers were laced together at the corners of the room. Along each of the four long tables was a grand and rich-looking drape that had each of the House emblems stitched into them. The Slytherin table had a green and silver drape and stood to the far left of the room. The professors were already seated at the front of the room, each looking very interested in a conversation. None of them looked up at the appearance of the class. They all seemed too focused to be bothered.

Andromeda ordered the class to divide into their houses and sit at their selective tables. As they did, the sixth years appeared through the doorways, followed by the fifth years and so on. Andromeda and Lucius decided to stand on opposite sides of the room, watching for any sort of behavioral mishap within the buzzing crowd. Andromeda had lost complete sight of her best friends. She desperately tried scanning the masses for them, but couldn't locate them. As the third years made their way down to their respective tables, Andromeda scanned the Professor's table for any sort of familiarity.

She recognized most of the Professors that were comfortably sat at the front of the room. Professor Slughorn, as per usual, was sipping out of a silver flask that he deemed was part of his "potion studies." He was by far her favorite Professor, but she was still entranced by his careless behavior at times. Professor Flitwick was too his left, chattering on about something that seemed quite funny as the two exploded into laughter every few minutes. Professor Merrythought was at the far right end of the large table, sipping from her glass in complete silence. She had been teaching Defense against the Dark Arts since Andromeda began school. She was a very serious woman, but had enough stories of her days as an auror so that every class was filled with something new. In the middle of the table in a grand, golden and engraved chair sat Professor Dumbledore. He had a gleeful expression, gazing about the room and waving to a certain few students every once in a while. It was as if this was his favorite day of the entire year. His warmth radiated from his chair as his eyes sparkled with every student's entrance. As Andromeda stared at the man, she began to feel an overwhelming sense of safety, as if nothing could hurt her.

As the last few second year students finished filing in, a silence began to spread through the room. The excitement of the evening still buzzed through the air, but all of the students ceased their conversations. Everyone looked to the back of the room, at the entrance door, as the first years walked through.

Andromeda scanned the group for the familiar set of black curls she knew and loved. At the back of the mass, she found Sirius, with a smile big enough to take up his whole face. His cheeks were red with nerves, but Andromeda knew that he was more than happy enough to overshadow the anxiety he felt.

They hurried up to the front of the room, looking around and absorbing every inch of their new surroundings. Professor McGonagall lead them proudly, her shoulders set back and her nose higher than usual. On her way, she snapped loudly. Suddenly, in front of the teacher's table was a stool with a very old, frumpy looking hat placed on top. Some of the first years gasped as it appeared before them. The older students, however, were used to seeing the Sorting hat every year.

The first years halted in front of the stairs leading to the hat. Sirius looked around, as if trying to find someone, and locked eyes with Andromeda from the other corner of the room. He smiled at her and she returned it. Hopefully that smile would last the whole night.

McGonagall walked up to the Sorting Hat and stood beside it. All eyes were on the frumpy garment expectantly. Suddenly, the hat began to straighten and smooth out its fabric, reveling two eye sockets and a fold seemingly where its mouth should be. It burst into a song:

 _"Oh my, Oh my, it is that time_

 _Where students come and hear my rhyme_

 _They wait to hear the house they yearn_

 _And I am here to tell them which they earn_

 _Shall you be in Gryffindor, where stand the brave?_

 _Their dearest friends they would always save_

 _They never shy away from a fight_

 _Their own success gives them their greatest delight_

 _Or maybe in Ravenclaw, where the wisest of us dwell,_

 _Their thoughts and minds are where they excel_

 _This house welcomes people of all types_

 _They happily don their blue and bronze stripes_

 _Perhaps you'll be in Slytherin where true loyalties lie_

 _This crowd can use any means to get by_

 _Their cunning abilities drive them to win_

 _Their unbeatable determination is born within_

 _Then there is Hufflepuff where the heart leads the mind_

 _And where friends are found with an unbreakable bind_

 _But be warned to never tussle with these folk_

 _They will never take a fight as lightly as a joke_

 _Come one come all to the night of the year_

 _Find where you belong but have no fear_

 _I am the Sorting Hat and I make no mistake_

 _That is my promise to you that I promise not to break"_

An overwhelming cheer erupted from the tables as the Sorting Hat sang his last note. Andromeda wondered if the Hat spends the whole year making up the song for the next batch of First Years. She applauded with the crowd. As Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll that listed the names of all of the First Years, the cheers ceased.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "When I call your name, come to the front and sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head."

As the names were called and different tables erupted into applause, Andromeda began to feel nervous for Sirius. Perhaps her worrying was for nothing; he would be sorted into Slytherin and there would be no problem to face. She would help him make friends and he would be able to send a happy and proud letter home to his mother and father. However, Andromeda couldn't help but think of the growing possibility that Sirius would not be sorted into Slytherin. As she thought, she realized that he isn't like her Slytherin friends. To be in Slytherin means that you're willing to make sacrifices to achieve your goals and that you promise your loyalty to only a select few people. Sirius, she knew, would not want to sacrifice anything too near and dear in order to get what he wants; he would change the pathway of his goal in order to avoid having to make any sacrifices at. He would also want to be friends with as many people as possible, without being selective. Maybe he wasn't a Slytherin? No, it's impossible.

Before she knew it, McGonagall cried out "Black, Sirius."

Andromeda sucked in a breath as she saw Sirius walk up the stairs to the stool. She came to the sudden and firm conclusion that the Sorting Hat would never sort him into Slytherin. She realized with perfect clarity that Slytherin is not where Sirius belongs, and it would curse him for his entire life.

Sirius raised himself to sit on the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. He looked up towards the beaten brim of the hat in anticipation.

It spoke, "Yet another Black family member? Merlin, you all don't know when to kick the bucket do you? Well, no matter. You got a bright mind, you do. You don't use it well, so you're not in Ravenclaw. Hmmm… what to do, what to do. You have a brave heart, boy. I reckon you better belong in…Gryffindor!"

Fear splashed across Sirius' face as a confused applause came from the Gryffindor table. He paled to a ghostly white as McGonagall took the hat off of his head. Whispers spread through the Slytherin table as the news settled in: a Black family member in Gryffindor? Andromeda breathed in deeply and let out a loud clap. Sirius took his seat hesitantly, looking at his feet the entire time. A few hands were offered for him to shake, which he took. He looked back at Andromeda, a look of panic on his face. She looked at him and tried to conjure up a large smile, as if to reassure him that everything will be alright.

Sirius sat there, defeated, until the Potter boy was announced in Gryffindor. He rushed over to Sirius and made sure to sit right next to him. Sirius cracked a relieved smile as it settled in that he already had a best friend in his house.

The rest of the names were a blur to Andromeda, she only recognized the two friends she had met on the train: the muggleborn girl with red hair was sorted into Gryffindor with a large smile. However her friend, the greasy haired Snape boy was placed into Slytherin. The two looked heartbroken to be separated but Andromeda saw it coming: the heir of the Prince family did not belong in Gryffindor and a muggleborn did not belong in Slytherin. The two were destined to separate.

After the last student was sorted, Professor Dumbledore rose from his golden chair and walked to the center of the platform, hands folded behind his back.

As he found his spot behind a podium that had appeared as he cleared his throat, he spoke. "Students, staff, welcome to another brilliant year at Hogwarts." He paused at an overwhelming boom of applause and continued, "I know with a firm certainty that you all are famished from your travels so I will leave you to dine with this piece of advice for the year: never tickle a sleeping dragon!"

With four claps of his hands, a feast appeared at every table. McGonagall nodded at both Lucius and Andromeda to take their seats from the corners of the room, which Andromeda took gladly beside her friends. She checked to make sure Sirius was okay and found him laughing with James over a plate full of food. He will be just fine for now, she thought, as she bit into a warm biscuit.

…

As if the night had gone in the blink of an eye, Andromeda was already leading the class of tired and happily full Slytherin first years down to the dungeons. There were only around 20 new members of the Slytherin house, but they seemed to be more than comfortable. As she looked behind her shoulder she could see that they seemed to already know each other. They have all probably known each other since they could walk; pureblood families tend to only socialize with other pureblood families.

They had walked far down the hallway towards the dungeons when Andromeda stopped at a smooth, oval stone to her right side.

"Behind this stone is the Slytherin common room and dormitories. This is where you will live for the duration of your time here. You will have the same dormitory and roommates for all seven years, so I would get comfortable and keep everything in good shape. There is a password to get into the dormitory and it changes every two weeks. The new password is posted on the bulletin in the common room, which I will show you when we get inside. No members of any other house are allowed in the common room."

A boy in the back interrupted her, "Why would we want them in our common room in the first place?"

There was a large laugh. She ignored him and continued, "Are there any questions?"

A black-haired girl in the front raised her hand, "How are we supposed to remember where the entrance is? It's almost camouflaged in."

"It's the biggest stone down here, and the only one that's smooth and oval. Trust me; you'll be able to find it."

She turned towards the wall, "Salazar."

The wall rumbled in response to the word. The stones shifted every which way until finally the largest stone rolled to the right to reveal a dimly lit pathway. She heard a few small gasps behind her as she led the small group in.

The common room had not changed since she had last seen it. There was still a grand fireplace with a portrait of a slithering snake hung above it. The marble was black with white veins intertwined throughout just as they were at Andromeda's home. The walls were dark stone, and every so often a portrait or a burning brazier would interrupt the pattern. There were also many tapestries lining the walls that pictured an accomplished Slytherin wizard at their greatest moment. A slight platform was fixed as you walk in that had a black bulletin board to the left and an enchanted grand piano that played itself throughout the day to the right. Down a few steps was the common area with black velvet couches and emerald encrusted tables that encircled the fireplace. There were a few studying desks in various corners as well. On either side of the fireplace were long and narrow windows; the only two windows within the common room that weren't half submerged in The Great Lake.

Andromeda walked down the steps and waited for the stunned faces to turn their attention to her. There are two hallways that appear on the left and right just before the common area stars. She gestured to these as she spoke:

"To the left you will find the girl's dormitory and to the right you will find the boy's. Your assigned dorm and roommates are posted on the bulletin. Find your name and the number of your room. You will find all of your belongings already organized and ready to be unpacked. Be aware that breakfast starts sharply at 7:30 in the morning and classes begin at 9. It would be wise to wake up early tomorrow, get a quick but filling breakfast, and run off to find your classes. If you need my help, my name is Andromeda Black and I-"

"You have a Gryffindor in your family! What kind of rubbish is that? How can you be Head Girl?" interrupted the same boy who had done so before.

Andromeda looked at the boy, his comment stunning her for a moment. All eyes turned to him in astonishment, and then back at Andromeda's anxiously. She narrowed her eyes and walked towards him, the group parting the way for her to walk through. As she reached him, she noticed a chubbiness to his cheeks and a certain dullness of his dark eyes. His brown hair was perfectly combed back.

"What is your name?" she asked firmly, trying her best to sound like a cross Professor McGonagall.

He seemed to have not expected her confronting him as he spoke softly, "Peter Mulciber."

She snorted; she had heard of the Mulciber family and how extremely righteous they deem themselves as.

She continued, "Peter, even though classes haven't yet started, I'm going to try to teach you a lesson, one that I thought you would already know." She gestured to the gleaming head girl badge on her robes, "This little thing gives me certain powers over you. Do you know what those are?"

The boy shook his head, trying to seem as if the conversation did not terrify him.

She smiled, "This means that, if I deem it fit, you can spend every Saturday of this term writing lines with Professor McGonagall, meaning that you would have to miss out on every Quidditch Match and every extra hour of sleep. Would you like that?"

The boy's eyebrows knitted together, his chubby face turning red. "You can't do that!"

"Would you like to wait and see? Because I promise if you interrupt me again, especially speaking against a member of my family, I can show you the full extent of what I can do."

She looked at him and waited for a reply. When she did not receive one, she grinned and turned to walk in front of the group.

"As I was saying, I can also help you find your place tonight. Please carefully form a line at the bulletin and check for your name. I would try to before the rest of the House gets back from dinner."

As she finished addressing them and let them run off to find their rooms, Andromeda took in a sharp breath, letting it cool her down. How could anyone raise their child to be so rude?

After answering a few leftover questions, she found Nina and Clarette. The three walked to down the stairs of the left hallway and found their dormitory. There were four beds placed along the left and right walls, each having a trunk. All of their belongings had already found their way to each bed. They were covered in a green spread that seemed to glisten in the moonlight that shone through the windows. There were two windows, each completely submerged in The Great Lake. As the moonlight cascaded through them, they emitted a greenish tint as filtered by the water. The eeriness of the room had always discomforted Andromeda. She couldn't bear to be alone in it for very long; the sounds coming from the lake and the cold stone walls did little to calm her nerves.

"Did you see Lucius after dinner?" Clarette asked as she found her bed and started unpacking her bags.

"No, I was in charge of leading the First Years and he was in charge of getting patrol schedules from McGonagall," Andromeda answered as she sat on her bed.

"Well I heard from Simon that he simply would not stop talking about you tonight," she said excitedly.

"I heard the same thing," Nina said.

"Well, that's nice. I didn't know I was such an exciting topic."

"You just watch, Andromeda; when you and Lucius become more public and more comfortable with each other, you will be everyone's favorite couple," Nina said with a smile.

"Oh yes, my greatest accomplishment," Andromeda said sarcastically as she opened her trunk.

As the night came to an end and Andromeda found her head at her pillow, her body unable to move, she could only recollect a few things before sleep had taken over her: the smell of the toad that had rudely jumped on her that morning at the train, the remarkable eyes that its owner had, the heartbreaking look on Sirius' face that made her yearn to comfort him in the morning, and the dreadful realization that a whole new year was ahead of her that she would have to face whether she liked it or not.


	7. Chapter 7

**N/A: Yikes it's been so long. I suck. I'm so sorry guys! I broke my knee so hopefully that'll give me more time to write seeing as how I can't walk! Anyway, enjoy the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review so I know you all don't hate me! xoxo**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Potion Partner**

The Great Hall was alive with the buzz of the first day of the year. First years finished their breakfast with an hour to spare and set about in the hopes of finding their classes on time. Second years, assured that they probably knew where they were going, nervously looked at their schedules for the fifth time and left in a I've-been-here-for-a-year-but-I-still-don't-quite-know-where-I'm-going-and-I-don't-want-to-be-glared-at-by-McGonagall rush. Sirius and his new best friend James were in neither group. They seemed extremely relaxed at the end of the Gryffindor table as Andromeda approached them.

"Quite sure of where both of you are going?" She asked them as they shoveled more eggs on their plates.

The two boys looked up at her. Already their mannerisms seemed to fuse together; they both ate with the same speed and looked up with the same innocence as the other. Andromeda had no doubt in her mind that these two will be trouble.

James swallowed the bite of toast he had just taken and spoke in a dignified tone. "My grandfather gave me a map of the school when I was just 6 years old and I've been memorizing it ever since. I know exactly where I'm going."

Andromeda grinned at the boy. "Right. So give me your schedules and I'll quiz you."

Sirius gave James a worried look as he passed his schedule to Andromeda.

She scanned over the piece of wrinkled parchment and looked at the boys. "Tell me where your Charms class will be held, James."

James knitted his eyebrows for an instant and spoke. "Err…that'll be… on the second floor of the right wing, near Herbology."

Andromeda giggled. "Charms will be on the third floor, classroom 2E, near the Armory and the Library. I suggest you get an updated map, Mr. Potter, or perhaps make your own."

James and Sirius looked at each other, panicked, and scurried out of the Great Hall to find the correct location of their classes. Andromeda laughed and walked over to the Slytherin table to find Nina and Clarette reviewing their schedules.

"I don't know how you actually enjoy Ancient Runes, Nina," Clarette said as she was spreading jam on her biscuit.

"Well I don't know how you and Andy enjoy Potions. Slughorn is a real nutter if you ask me."

Andromeda placed her bag down next to them. Both of the girls looked up at her and smiled warmly.

"I like Slughorn because I'm his favorite. He obviously has good taste," Andromeda said as she reached to grab a sausage.

Nina sighed. "That's the only class we don't all have together this year."

"Well if you get tired of translating ancient Germanic ritual spells, you can transfer to nutter Slughorn with us any day you'd like," Clarette said to Nina with a smile.

"No, I'm perfectly content with my translations thank you. You all have fun with your Waxseed harvesting and Bulborous Draft brewing."

The girls laughed and went back to scanning their schedules over in silence. It seemed like only a few moments before the bell rang for the end of breakfast, meaning that the girls had 15 minutes to get to their classes. With a few goodbyes, the girls parted; Nina to the sixth floor for Ancient Runes and Clarette and Andromeda to the dungeons for Potions.

Potions had always been Andromeda's favorite class. For some reason, it all made sense to her. She could understand the whims of her ingredients and how to tailor a recipe to what she needed. She even knew how to brew a draft of her own creation. Slughorn had said she was a natural since her first year.

"If you, my dearest Andy, do not take over as Potion's master when I retire," he had said during her third year, "then this school will be at a great loss."

She had made it into the Slug club as soon as she brewed a successful draft of Polyjuice potion in her first year. Slughorn had said that she was one of the youngest members he had received since he could remember. Since then, Andromeda had always been Professor Slughorn's star pupil.

As she and Clarette entered the dark classroom. The familiar smell of ginger, dried dragon blood and freshly harvested Moonspine cut her senses immediately. A group of familiar Slytherin faces nodded at the two girls as they walked in. Lucius was among them, and flashed a brilliant smile towards Andromeda specifically. The group burst into laughter as Andromeda blushed. Professor Slughorn seemed to be the only one absent.

"There's a lot more students in this class than last year," Clarette murmured toward Andromeda.

MacDamian Spencer, a seventh year Ravenclaw, appeared in between Clarette and Andromeda. "They had to combine classes this year. The students that received and Exceed Expectations on their O.W.L's are in the same class as us, the ones who got an Outstanding."

"But we were separated last year!" Clarette whispered in a harsh tone.

"I know. Everybody's pretty bent about it," Spencer said as he made his way to his seat.

Clarette and Andromeda exchanged an anxious look and took their usual seats next to one another just as the bell for the start of class chimed. In the back of her mind, Andromeda hoped that Sirius had found his way to Charms by now.

Just as all of the students had found their seats and settled down, a loud bang erupted from the back of the classroom. In the doorway was Professor Slughorn, hovering stacks of books and trying his best to usher them into the classroom. The stacks were high enough to cover from his short stubby legs to the ceiling. A few had fallen to the floor despite Slughorn's apparent focus.

"Would any of you care to offer a hand?" he muttered in between grunts of effort at the doorway.

A few boys rushed to pick up the fallen books and took some of them off the top. Finally, Slughorn hobbled his way to the front of the room, numerous stacks of new textbooks piled atop his desk. The class patiently waited for the man to catch his breath and wipe his face with his handkerchief. Professor Slughorn cleared his throat and, as if noticing the full class for the first time, smiled brightly.

"Good morning to my most favorite and promising students and welcome to your very last year of Hogwarts!" He took a deep breath to slow his panting and continued. "This will be a very strange year to all of you, as it is one of the most bittersweet moments, I dare say, of your entire lives." He circled around his desk and shoveled through a pile of papers before he seemed to have found what he needed. He whisked his wand at the pile, and the papers suddenly wove through the classroom, gracefully floating above the heads of the students until they found a desk to stop at. Slughorn pointed his wand sharply and, like feathers, the papers glided down in front of each student.

Slughorn cleared his throat, "What I have just placed in front of you is a schedule of the year ahead. As you may have already concluded, this year will be particularly intense as you will have to prepare for your N.E.W.T's in the spring. If everything goes according to schedule, we will begin reviewing as soon as you come back from Christmas break. I expect a lot from this group especially as you are my most hard working students. Do you all understand me?"

There was a murmuring of agreement coming from the students.

Avery's voice came from the back of the room. "Why do we got a class that's mixed with E's and O's? That's not fair, eh? They'll slow us down, Sluggie."

A few shouts of agreement came from the back of the class. Andromeda looked at Professor Slughorn in anticipation, unsure of how he might respond.

Slughorn took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the group of boys. He made eye contact with Andromeda and, seeing her shocked face, gave her a reassuring smile. He calmly leaned against his desk and spoke in an exhausted tone.

"As some of you might have been able to tell, this class has gotten bigger. It is now the only Advanced Potion class offered for seventh years at Hogwarts and is therefore open to students who received above an Average score on their O.W.L's. This is because of the large number of new students that are being welcomed into Hogwarts this year. As they need so many classes to welcome First years, we needed to combine classes to make it fit."

Slughorn buried his chubby fingers into his pockets and began to walk to the back of the classroom towards the interrupting group of boys.

"Now, Avery, I have known you for seven years. Meanwhile, you have come to know me. I have been teaching at Hogwarts for longer than you have been alive, and therefore one could safely assume that I know how to do my job very well. You should know that I will not allow a class to, as you put it, 'slow down' merely because ten students have been added. As you can see upon reviewing your schedule, we will all be in perfect condition to take our N.E.W.T's by spring, as long as some of us stop interrupting the class. Is that understood boys?"

The boys silently nodded, unsure of how to react to this version of Slughorn. Andromeda smiled to herself at the beauty of her favorite teacher silencing her least favorite group of boys in the whole world.

"Now that we are all on the same page, I will be assigning you potion partners for the remainder of the year. This partner is assigned for you to do homework with, to study with, and to brew with until the Spring. I plan on assigning a larger workload than usual, so it would be best for everyone to have some help."

Andromeda and Clarette looked at each other, silently hoping that they would get assigned as partners. Andromeda looked behind her, hoping to find another person she would be happy to have as a partner, and found nothing but the group of Malfoy's friends. If it was between any one of those boys and a dry-rotted pixie log as a partner, Andromeda knew that the log would be much more intellectually gifted.

However, as Slughorn began reading the list in alphabetical order, she turned her face to the front and found a familiar pair of broad, athletic shoulders, messy sand-coloured hair, and slightly protruding ears facing the front of the room. In fact, Andromeda hated to admit it, but she had been thinking about that head of hair until she had fallen asleep the night before.

"Black, Andromeda, you will be paired with Tonks, Edward," Slughorn said lazily as he passed onto the other pair.

Ted turned around as he heard his name and, to Andromeda's utter embarrassment, found her eyes already on him. He smiled and gave Andromeda a small wave. In return, she could only muster up a polite grin and turned her gaze to her desk. She could feel Lucius and his friends staring at her back, wondering how she knew this muggle-born Edward Tonks. She could feel the room get hotter, boiling almost, to the point where at any moment she would have to leave or she would collapse. Was it getting hot? Was it just her? Why is someone blowing a whistle? Why is nobody talking?

"Andy! Bloody hell Andy, snap out of it," Clarette whispered into her ear.

Andromeda lifted her eyes from her desk and found that everyone in the class had moved to their respective partners. She looked up at Clarette.

"Merlin, Andy, he's just a mudblood. He won't kill you. He wouldn't know how," she said with a giggle as she got her bag and moved to Avery's table. They must have gotten assigned as partners.

There was a large thud as Ted placed his things on the table. She jumped at the sound and looked up to find the same large grin as before.

"Err…sorry about that. I've got a lot of things in here," he said as he started organizing his books on the desk. Andromeda stayed silent, still unsure of how to approach this situation.

Ted turned to her and sighed. "So, I can tell we got off on the wrong foot the other day. Lucille is really nice, ya know, once you give her a good shot. She's just jumpy. But, what else can you expect from a toad?"

He started chuckling at his own joke as he grabbed his potions textbook and opened up to a page. Andromeda offered a slight laugh, unsure of what else to do or say.

As he found his page, he looked at her again. "Why don't we re-introduce ourselves? Start fresh." He outstretched his hand. "I'm Edward Tonks, Hufflepuff. Often referred to as Ted. Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Father of Lucille Tonks, Brazilian Toad. Lover of all things animal and edible. Not to be confused with edible animals, but sometimes those are okay too."

Andromeda, still not having uttered a thing at this point, stared at the hand in front of her.

He leaned into her, and whispered in a sarcastic tone. "You're supposed to shake it."

She looked up at him, and let out a sharp breath of air. She took his hand and shook it once, then turned to find her book in her bag. As she put it on the desk, she could hear Avery from behind her right shoulder.

"Be careful there, Andy, you might catch it. They say mudbloods have all sorts of diseases," he said as he and his friends erupted into laughter. She looked at Avery, horrified, and turned to Ted, unsure of how to apologize. She desperately hoped that he hadn't heard anything at all.

Unfortunately, from the look on his face, she could tell he had heard every word Avery said. His shoulders fell and the joy that Andromeda had seen in his caramel eyes had faded into humiliation. His ears had turned red and his fists had balled up beside his book. Andromeda intuitively reached out a hand to comfort him, but thought better, and retracted it.

Ted kept his eyes at his desk, speaking in a short, cold voice. "I think it would be best if we just split up the work for the rest of the year- divide everything in half. That way we won't have to actually work together. We won't even have to talk to each other."

Andromeda's heart sank into her stomach, but she couldn't understand why. She looked around and found that every Slytherin was eavesdropping on their conversation. Their eyes were on Ted and Andromeda's table, either darting to them from time to time or staring at them directly. Everyone was waiting for Andromeda to respond.

To her surprise, Andromeda spoke strongly. "No."

Ted looked up at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Sorry, what?"

Now she _knew_ that everyone's eyes were completely trained on her. "No, I don't want to split up the work. The point of having a partner is to work together and collaborate and help each other and improve each other's skills."

"So you don't mind working with me?" Ted asked, still stunned. He leaned closer to her, his voice lowered, "Even though I'm a muggle-born?"

Andromeda's heart was beating rapidly as every Slytherin in the room began to whisper.

Andromeda kept her eyes at her book and tried her best to speak in a passive tone. "Of-of course not. Just because your toad jumped at me doesn't mean I can't work with you."

Ted knitted his eyebrows together, confused. "That's not the excuse I gave-"

Andromeda met his eyes and interrupted him. "I don't care what pair of parents you come from, as long as you're good at brewing potions."

His grin reappeared on his face as her words settled in. As Andromeda thought about it, she was actually rather relieved to have received Ted as a partner in the place of receiving one of the Slytherin boys who were too stunned to speak a word behind her. If she wasn't going to have Clarette as a partner, she couldn't think of anybody else in the class that she would rather work with.

Ted cleared his throat, a light blush at the tips of his ears coming clear. He couldn't help but notice how different Andromeda was from all of the other Slytherin house members. It was as if she didn't truly belong with them. Ted had been haunted by the Slytherin house ever since his very first year when Mulciber and Avery turned his brand new Hufflepuff tie into a snake that choked him until his lips turned blue. Andromeda, with her warm eyes and perfectly untidy brown waves, made Ted feel safer.

Slughorn cleared his throat at his desk and, upon getting the attention of the whole class, spoke. "Now that you all have become acquainted with your new partners, you must understand me clearly when I say that you two will be working together throughout the entirety of the year. This means that you can safely assume that all homework assignments I give to you is to be completed between you and your partner. You two must collaborate, is that understood?"

There was a murmur of agreement from the class and Slughorn continued. "Now your first assignment of the year will be to produce me a fully harvested Lunar Beetle Heart. The first pair to do so will be excused from this weeks' assignment. Go!"

Andromeda opened her book to scan for anything that related to Lunar Beetle harvesting.

Suddenly, Ted pointed at his own book and exclaimed, "Ah-ha! Found it"

To her disbelief, Ted had found the page on Lunar Beetles before Andromeda had. She looked at him with narrow eyes. "You cheated."

Ted was beaming. "Nope! Just did a little light reading this summer to catch up. Come on slow poke!"

And with that, Ted rushed to the jar of what looked to be over-sized wrinkled olives on Slughorn's desk. Andromeda looked at the muggle-born in disbelief. With her heart beating rapidly for a reason she couldn't describe, Andromeda followed her partner to the front of the class. Perhaps getting Toad Boy for a partner was a blessing in disguise, a blinding white light in Andromeda's ever darkening world.

 **…**

"You know, he really isn't that bad," Andromeda was saying in a hushed voice to Clarette as they began walking to the outskirts of The Great Lake. This was a free period for both of the girls, right after Potions, and they had told Nina to meet them in the shaded grass next to the water after her Runes class.

"He's a mudblood, Andy, and a Hufflepuff at that," Clarette said coldly. Clarette had practically dragged Andromeda out of the class as soon as the bell had rung. Andromeda hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye to Ted.

"Well, he's good at Potions. I reckon that's the only thing I should be worried about. You know it was because of him that we harvested that heart before the entire class. He knew exactly what to do-"

Suddenly, Clarette grabbed Andromeda's arm forcefully and stopped her in her tracks. She looked at Andromeda in a sharp glare, chilling Andromeda to the bone. Her voice was hushed. "Do you want to get yourself killed, Andy? Do you know what _they_ would do if they found out you're soft with mudbloods?"

Andromeda's mind was blank. "Who are _they_?"

Clarette rolled her eyes. "Do your parents tell you nothing? Haven't you seen the papers, the deaths?"

Andromeda wrinkled her eyebrows. "No, my family unsubscribed from The Daily Prophet."

Clarette snorted. "Yeah, that's what they told you. That's sweet, really, to guard you from the truth."

Andromeda suddenly remembered her conversation with Bellatrix before the train departed. She had warned Andromeda and Narcissa that Hogwarts would start changing before they had left.

 _Things are going to get dangerous,_ she had said, _you can only trust a certain few people._

Anger started to bubble in Andromeda's chest. "What the bloody hell are you going on about Clarette?"

Clarette looked around them, as if remembering where they were. There were crowds of students staring at the two girls who had not done very well in concealing the heat of their discussion. Clarette huffed and slapped on a smile.

Her voice was sweet, and came out strongly. "You're so silly, Andy. Come on, Nina is going to be worried."

Without an answer, Clarette sped off towards the lake, leaving Andromeda too confused to start following her.

A voice, clear and obnoxious, cut through the fog in Andromeda's mind. "There you are. I was hoping to talk to you after class."

Andromeda blinked and saw Lucius standing in front of her, his face in the same cocky smirk that it's usually found in.

Her blood began to boil. He was the last face she wanted to see. "Well you found me," she said dismissively as she started walking to catch up with Clarette. "What did you want to talk about?"

Lucius followed her, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "I just wanted to see how you liked the class. I can't believe they put O's and E's in the same hour this year."

Andromeda spoke shortly. "Yes, it is quite surprising. But I know Slughorn has it all under control."

Lucius scanned her face for any sort of emotion and continued looking onward, avoiding eye contact. He tried his best to sound nonchalant as he continued. "And being assigned partners? I mean that's…that's unheard of."

Andromeda shrugged, keeping her eyes away from his as well. "It's not unheard of."

"Well, I'm fine with my partner. I got Mulciber," Lucius continued, as if trying to reach a point. "And who is your partner, Andy?"

Andromeda snorted and looked at Lucius. "You know exactly who I got as my partner."

Lucius ran a nervous hand through his hair. "Well, no. Not exactly. I don't know the guy. All I know is that he's a-"

"Muggle-born?" Andy interrupted.

Lucius looked at his feet. "Yeah, one of those."

Andromeda tightened her grip on her bag. She tried her best not to sound defensive. "His name is Edward Tonks. He goes by Ted. He has a giant and slimy toad named Lucille and he is captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team."

Lucius laughed. "Wow, you got all of that from meeting the bloke once?"

Andromeda didn't respond.

Lucius sighed and continued. "He seemed to like you a lot, what with that idiotic grin of his."

She laughed. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Malfoy"

"Jealous? Yeah, right. I'm jealous of some Hufflepuff mudblood who didn't have anything better to do than read our Potion textbook over summer."

"Then what's got you so heated about him?"

"He's a mudblood. That's what I don't like about him. People like us that come from families like ours are not supposed to be conversing with people like him. And yes, he's too friendly with you for my comfort. It's as if he thinks he actually has a chance with you. A mudblood who's too close to my girlfriend is not going to settle well with me."

Andromeda turned to look at him in disbelief. "Girlfriend?"

Lucius' face turned a dark shade of pink. "Well, yeah. I mean, that's the best way to explain it, right?"

Andromeda froze, Lucius stopping with her. They were just nearing the end of the trail to the Great Lake. Nobody was around to hear the two, so Andromeda decided she could speak freely. Her anger had risen again like acid, crawling its way to her throat.

"The next time you decide to put a label on me, Lucius, you had better come and ask me for permission first. You know, how a proper gentleman should, as you claim to be one in front of my family. And if we are to be under a label now, let me make this clear: I am to be friends with whomever I want. Whether I want to be friends with a toad-loving, big eared muggle-born or the Giant Squid that lives in the lake, I am free to choose."

She was silent then, and so was Lucius. Andromeda was stunned at herself; she hardly ever has outbursts like that. Perhaps it was a combination of Clarette's condescending threat and Lucius' controlling attitude that set her off. Or perhaps, and she hated to admit it, there was something gnawing at her that wanted desperately to learn more about Ted, and the resistance of the idea frustrated her to no end.

Lucius had looked at his shoes the whole time, his face getting redder and redder. Suddenly, his face snapped upward to look at Andromeda, a smile uncoiling to his cheeks.

When he spoke, the ice from his words chilled Andromeda to silence. "Perhaps you're right, Andy. He seems like a nice boy. I think I'm going to introduce myself, since he obviously doesn't know who I am."

Andromeda's hear t dropped as Lucius turned at his heels. She grabbed his arm, desperation overcoming her. "No, please Lucius. Don't hurt him. He's done nothing."

He looked at her hand grasping his sleeve, his smile widening. "And if I don't?"

Andromeda swallowed a lump that had been crawling up her throat. She spoke, defeated. "If you don't hurt him, I promise I won't be his friend."

Lucius reached under her chin and tilted her face up to look at his, "And?"

"I'll tell everyone that you're my boyfriend."

Lucius' smile grew even wider. He lowered her chin and kissed her forehead softly.

"You know, it should worry me that you care this much for him, but now that I have your word that you two won't get closer, I am wholeheartedly relieved at your loyalty to me."

And with that, he dropped his hand from her chin and turned at his heels, an extremely satisfied expression stretched across his face. As if he remembered something, he turned around to look at Andromeda.

"And you do know that this is for your best interest. _They_ wouldn't want to hear of a Black family sister having a heart for a mudblood. You'll thank me one day soon, you'll see."

He turned back around with a shrug, as if he was sincerely protecting Andromeda. From what? She had no idea. All she knew for certain at this point were three things: the first, she needed to get her hands on The Daily Prophet. The second, she couldn't trust anyone, not even those she loved. The third, everything she had ever known, the world she had grown up in, would never be the same.


End file.
